Join us for a celebration of 25 years of the Haliburton Sculpture Forest.
Monday, August 24,
Art Happening – Call to Create - 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm
Join artists Scott Walling and Rose Pearson at Art Hut #3 in the Sculpture Forest to contribute to and see their new installation. Scott and Rose have been creating (and inviting others to create collages of paper made on 5”x 5” card stock. They worked with only two “rules” - focus on paper and think 3D!
You can make one (or more in advance and bring them to the Art Happening or make one on the spot. The Curators (Scott and Rose) will arrange, frame and rearrange pieces often
There will be Q & A with the artists/curators
Where to Meet
Meet at the kiosk with the red roof in the College Parking lot.
Rainy Day Location
Great Hall – Haliburton School of Art and Design
Tuesday, August 25
Free Guided tour of the Sculpture Forest, 10:00 am – 12:00 pm
Free guided tour of the Sculpture Forest with Outreach Co-ordinator Lorry Brandon and Sculpture Forest Ambassador, Brody Bolger A full tour of the sculptures of the Sculpture Forest and the stories behind them.
Where to Meet
Meet at the kiosk with the red roof in the College Parking lot.
Rain or shine
Wednesday. August 26
Artist Talk with Mairéad Filgate - 4:45pm at the Great Hall at Fleming College - Haliburton School of Art + Design
Creative Practice and Collective Well-Being
In this art talk, Mairéad Filgate will share research findings from an ongoing inquiry into creative practice as a vital support for collective well-being.
The talk draws on a shared research practice between Mairéad and Shannon Litzenberger, through their co-founded PlaySpace, as well as on Mairéad's individual practice as a creator and educator with over 25 years of experience working across professional and community contexts. Through stories, embodied research, and reflective practice, she will shed light on how creative processes foster resilience, connection, and relational leadership within artistic and social ecosystems.
Launch of the Atmo-Sphere sound composition - 7:00 pm to 8:00pm
Join composer Nicholas Russell and vocalist Carling Stephen for the launch of Atmo-Sphere, a new sound composition created in response to John McKinnon’s Atmo-Sphere sculpture in the Haliburton Sculpture Forest. We will Meet at the Really Big Shoe at the edge of the field at the Haliburton Sculpture Forest and take A short walk into the forest with the artists and the Sculpture Forest’s curator. We will experience the sound composition Atmo-Sphere together at the sculpture and then Nicholas and Carling will share the ideas and creative process behind the composition, including the blending of field recordings, composed music, and voice. There will be some live performance and an opportunity to ask questions and continue the conversation with the artists.
Where to Meet
Meet at the Really Big Shoe at edge of the field at the Sculpture Forest.
Rainy Day Location
Great Hall – Haliburton School of Art and Design
Thursday, August 27
Sculpture Forest Odyssey Tour - Greek Myths and more.
10:00 am – 11:30 am
Curator/Storyteller, Jim Blake, and Sculpture Forest Ambassador, Brody Bolger will guide you on a special tour featuring six sculptures connected with Greek myths, folktales, creation stories and lore.
Where to Meet
Meet at the kiosk with the red roof in the College Parking lot.
Rain or shine.
Friday, August 28
Circle of Qi – 11:00am – 12:00pm
Led by Lynda Shadbolt and Myra Stephen, a quiet walk through the Sculpture Forest, stopping at various sculptures to practice some Qigong. Any donations collected will be donated to Brooksong Retreat & Cancer Support Centre.
Where to Meet
Meet at the kiosk with the red roof in the College Parking lot.
Rainy Day Location
Great Hall – Haliburton School of Art and Design
Saturday, August 29th
Induction of 5 New Sculptures (2024-2026) - 2:00pm – 4:00pm.
Celebrate the Induction of some of our newest sculptures by artists Marlene Kawalz, Al Van Mil and Annette Blady, Nyasha Mabika, Scott Childs and George Hart with Mark Puigmarti. The stop at each sculpture will feature a short performance of dance and music with Mairead Filgate, Shannon Kingsbury, Nick Russell, Bethany Houghton and Andrea Lithgow, a short talk by the artists and a chance for Q 7 A. It involves a ½ km walk to visit the sculptures.
Where to Meet
Meet at the Red Doors – at the College entrance.
Rainy Day Location
Great Hall – Haliburton School of Art and Design
Sculpture Forest ALIVE 25
Celebrating 25 years of sculptures – 4:00pm – 5:00pm
Celebrate with us the 25th anniversary of the Sculpture Forest, Refreshments, stories, and retrospective slide show and meet the people who make it all possible.
Where to Meet
Great Hall – Haliburton School of Art and Design
Sunday, August 30
Sculpture Forest ALIVE - an immersive sensory and performing arts journey through the Haliburton Sculpture Forest
Two shows: 11:00am – 12:00 pm and 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm.
Go to www.dancehappenhere.com to book your spots. Pay what you can. (Spots are limited)
Featuring Creators Dancer/Choreographer Mairéad Filgate and Singer/songwriter/harpist Shannon Kingsbury along with local artists—musicians Bethany Houghton, Nick Russell; dancer Andrea Lithgow; visual artist Scott Walling; fibre artist Wendy Lingard; and film artist/videographer Brad Brown—will bring the Haliburton Sculpture Forest alive in celebration of its 25th Anniversary.
Featuring original songs, choreography, visual art, and sound collage built from community voices, this site-responsive performance guides audiences on a journey through a series of vignettes inspired by the sculptures — reflecting on the layering of memory, belonging, creative lineage, and our deep relationship with the natural world.
Where to Meet
Meet at the Really Big Shoe at edge of the field at the Sculpture Forest.
Rainy Day Location
Great Hall – Haliburton School of Art and Design
Plan to pop by during the week, August 24 - 30 to watch and listen to the performances in development for Sculpture Forest ALIVE