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Contact the Haliburton Sculpture Forest. Contact Us Phone Tel: (705) 457-3555 Sculpture Forest Address 297 College Drive Haliburton, ON K0M 1S0 Mailing Address Haliburton Sculpture Forest Box 210 Haliburton, ON K0M 1S0 Email Us info@haliburtonsculptureforest.ca Send Success! Message received. Map Hours: Spring, Fall, and Summer Open: Everyday including holidays from dawn to dusk Cost: By donation Hours: Winter Open: Everyday including holidays from dawn to dusk Cost: Ski Trails: Must have a valid ski trail pass to enter ski trails (costs may vary) Snowshoe Trails: Free of charge Follow Us on Social Media Facebook Instagram Twitter YouTube Join Our Mailing List Register Here Instagram Feed

Leo Sepa is a Canadian-Estonian visual artist and blacksmith who works in both recycled and new materials. Leo Sepa Leo’s foray into metal art began some thirty years ago. Though the urge to create with fire and metal remained strong throughout the years, Leo’s talents were relegated to weekends and holidays at his Haliburton cottage until he retired. In 1997, he and is wife Hilary fulfilled a longtime dream by establishing Iron Jive Studio in Moore Falls, Haliburton. Leo is a participant of The Haliburton County Studio Tour, where art lovers watch him demonstrate forging techniques and visit his home gallery. Many of Leo’s ideas are conceived and captured on film during outings of rural Ontario, especially Haliburton. He is continually developing and exploring new ideas, which are reflected, in his artwork. Leo’s paternal grandfather was a blacksmith in Estonia (in fact, the name “Sepa” is derived from the Estonian “Raud Sepp” which translates as iron smith). Like his grandfather, Leo uses traditional blacksmith techniques. But he also employs the use of an oxyacetylene torch, a Mig welder, a plasma cutter and various other modern tools. He works in both recycled and new materials where he sometimes uses natural patinas creating a wide variety of pieces. Though the elder Sepa was a traditional blacksmith, forging tools and farm implements, Leo figures a little of his grandfather’s craft rubbed off on him. Leo was born in 1947 in Sweden after his Estonian parents fled to the nearby country to escape Soviet repression after the USSR invaded the Baltic. He came to Canada when he was three. < Back to Artists

Created by students of the Integrated Arts Program at Innisdale Secondary School in Barrie, Ontario All Sculptures I see a wish Number on Map 37 Artist Created by students of the Integrated Arts Program at Innisdale Secondary School in Barrie, Ontario Material Powder Coated Steel Installation Date November 1, 2020 Learn About the Artist In 2015, the students in the Innisdale Integrated Arts Program produced a multi-media arts presentation (poetry, music, dance, paintings and sculpture) for the new Cancer Treatment Centre at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Barrie. One piece was a sculpture of a dandelion gone to seed with one of the parachutes (wishes) about to take flight. A teacher in Collingwood, Deb Shackell, who was familiar with Haliburton Sculpture Forest was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin lymphoma and went to RVH for treatments and saw the sculpture. The dandelion and the saying “Some see a weed; I see a wish” has long been her personal coda – and seeing this sculpture gave her great hope and inspiration. She got in contact with the Sculpture Forest curator and said that she would like to raise the money to get a similar sculpture for the Sculpture Forest. The program coordinators at Innisdale said that they would be interested in having the class of 2019-2020 create a new sculpture for the Sculpture Forest (using the ideas and inspirations of the current students). Deb and the Sculpture Forest curator met with the students a couple of times; there was lots of back and forth on the design. Meanwhile, after a year of treatment, Deb was cancer free and she mounted a fundraising campaign on GoFundMe as well as produced and sold art cards with inspirational photography. The Sculpture was going to be installed in the spring of 2020 but COVID-19 got in the way. All the pieces of the sculpture had been created – it just needed to be brought to Haliburton and installed. The four teachers from Innisdale arranged to bring the pieces of the sculpture to Haliburton in November 2020 where it was assembled and installed. More Photos Previous Next

A fibre arts installation by Susan Kendal < All Events Pop Goes the Forest A fibre arts installation by Susan Kendal Thursday, June 9, 2022 Thursday, October 27, 2022 Address: Haliburton Sculpture Forest, College Drive, Haliburton, ON, Canada More About the Artist Pop Goes the Forest is a series of textile sculptures—loud, macro interpretations of lichens, fungi, and bark of the region. The work is made of nylon paracord and Ottertex outdoor fabric with bright, popping colours in sharp contrast to the natural hues of the forest. This installation was originally commissioned by THEOP (The Deep River Theatre Operating Committee) and installed in the trees along the Lamure Beach path in Deep River, Ontario from August 2021-May 2022. Susan Kendal Susan Kendal is an artist newly-based in Deep River, Ontario as of 2020, on the unceded territory of the Anishinabewaki and Omàmìwininìwag (Algonquin), Williams and Robinson- Huron (Treaty 61) territory. She spent 15 years as a contemporary dance artist in Toronto working as a choreographer, dancer and costume designer. She also taught in the Young Dancers Program at The School of Toronto Dance Theatre for 13 years, and worked at The Dance Current magazine for 10 years in various capacities including writer and managing editor. Slowly but surely, Susan’s love of stitching and Craft crept to the forefront of her creative practice, and she now primarily works as a textile artist. Her work is featured in the book Strange Material: Storytelling Through Textiles by Leanne Prain. She recently spent eight years living in Barrie, Ontario where she developed her handwork skills, made textile art, and taught art and stitching to women in transitional housing with funding from the Ontario Arts Council’s Artists in Communities Project Grant. Susan spent the fall of 2021 at the Icelandic Textile Centre’s Ós Residency where she focused on natural dyeing and traditional rug hooking. There are two boys of 10 and 14 who make Susan a mom, which is surely a creative-inventive-improvisational journey in itself! Thank you to our sponsors!"Pop Goes the Forest" was sponsored by: & Photo Gallery: < Previous Next >

Work Decommissioned in 2017 Phillip Vander Weg is a professor of Art at Western Michigan University. He has held that post since 1989 and has been chair of the Department of Art for most of that time Vander Weg is also director of the WMU Sculpture Tour Program, which he founded in 1991. He received his MFA in Sculpture from The University of Michigan’s Horace Rackham School of Graduate Studies in 1968. He also has a BS in Design from The University of Michigan. As an artist, Vander Weg has been exhibited regularly since 1969. Venues include Frederick Meijer Sculpture Park and Gardens in Grand Rapids, Cleveland State College, The University of Tennessee, Clemson University, and The Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art in Winston-Salem, N.C. Awards and honors include a Purchase Award at The 1996 Allegro Festival Exhibition, winner of The Vanderbilt University Sculpture Competition for Heard Library Interior in 1986, and a Purchase Award in the Art Of The Eighties competition at The Tennessee State Museum (Nashville) in 1982. Since 1972, he has had in excess of 25 private commissions (completed) of major sculptures for clients in the Midwest and Southeast, and his works are in the public and corporate collections of, among many others, The Butler Museum of Art, Tennessee State Museum, New York State University at Potsdam, and Gulf & Western Industries in New York City. He is an active member of The National Association of Schools of Art and Design, The College Art Association, FATE: Foundations in Art: Theory and Education, and The International Sculpture Conference. < All Artists Phillip Vander Weg ABOUT SCULPTOR Artist Bio Work Decommissioned in 2017 Phillip Vander Weg is a professor of Art at Western Michigan University. He has held that post since 1989 and has been chair of the Department of Art for most of that time Vander Weg is also director of the WMU Sculpture Tour Program, which he founded in 1991. He received his MFA in Sculpture from The University of Michigan’s Horace Rackham School of Graduate Studies in 1968. He also has a BS in Design from The University of Michigan. As an artist, Vander Weg has been exhibited regularly since 1969. Venues include Frederick Meijer Sculpture Park and Gardens in Grand Rapids, Cleveland State College, The University of Tennessee, Clemson University, and The Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art in Winston-Salem, N.C. Awards and honors include a Purchase Award at The 1996 Allegro Festival Exhibition, winner of The Vanderbilt University Sculpture Competition for Heard Library Interior in 1986, and a Purchase Award in the Art Of The Eighties competition at The Tennessee State Museum (Nashville) in 1982. Since 1972, he has had in excess of 25 private commissions (completed) of major sculptures for clients in the Midwest and Southeast, and his works are in the public and corporate collections of, among many others, The Butler Museum of Art, Tennessee State Museum, New York State University at Potsdam, and Gulf & Western Industries in New York City. He is an active member of The National Association of Schools of Art and Design, The College Art Association, FATE: Foundations in Art: Theory and Education, and The International Sculpture Conference. Installed Sculptures Previous Sculpture Next Sculpture

Tarzan Sithole All Sculptures Matriarchy Number on Map 36 Artist Tarzan Sithole Material Polished Springstone Installation Date November 1, 2020 Learn About the Artist Tarzan Sithole is a third-generation Zimbabwean stone sculptor. His works are also on display at the Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens and the Kew Gardens in London. More Photos Previous Next

Shelter Shift by Phillip Vander Weg. Shelter Shift Sculpture is Now Decommissioned Phillip Vander Weg Materials: Wood, paint, hardware Description: Brightly coloured 3D representation of a child's sketch of a house Installation Date: July, 2007 Decommission Date: June, 2017 Number on Map: 17 Go to Gallery Artist’s Vision for the Sculpture: Shelter Shift 07.2007 is a continuation of the shelter shift series, which references a “house/shelter” icon form and the fact that little is at right angles; planes have shifted, or are askew. The intent is to both confuse what is three-dimensional or may be the illusion of three dimensionality, and in the process to create an intentional degree of ambiguity, a duality of real and perceived space. The simple form carries a number of possible associations with it: home, house, shelter, barn, shed, or cottage. Intense primary colors create a childlike reference, making the form playful, a welcoming space to visit. The actual physical openness of the structure further entices viewers to enter the structure and engage directly with the space. The cumulative effect sparks the imagination of participants to create personal narratives and memories. Shelter Shift 07.2007 is deliberately situated to blend with the forest, while affording excellent viewing of neighboring works. Shelter Shift 07.2007 is also differentiated from others in the series with the inclusion of a rock foundation and native stone transitional elements. The smaller works have an intimacy about them and allow for dynamics to be explored with various grouping arrangements not possible with the larger pieces. Color interaction, texture, contrasts and similarities are endless avenues for investigation and visual reward. Shelter Shift was decommissioned in June, 2017 < Back to Sculptures

Enjoy guided tours with our tour partner Yours Outdoors year-round. Information on free summer tours is also available. Tours Book a Guided Tour for Groups of 10-25 The Sculpture Forest offers guided tours throughout the year for groups of 10-25 people for a fee of $100. Please inquire at info@haliburtonsculptureforest.ca to arrange for a booking. Learn More > Self Guided Tour - PocketSights App The PocketSights app provides an in depth information about the pieces in the sculpture forest. Download the app from the App Store or Play Store to lead your own self guided tour! Learn More > July and August: Weekly Free Guided Tours We are offering free tours every Tuesday in July and August at 10 a.m . at the kiosk in the Fleming College parking lot. Wear comfortable walking shoes. Tours are held rain or shine and can take up to 2 hours. Tours are free but donations are greatly appreciated. Contact Us > Washrooms: Visitors can use the public washroom in Glebe Park, which is located in Glebe Field near the park entrance closest to the museum. Visitors may use the washrooms at the Haliburton Highlands Museum or Haliburton School of Art + Design during regular business hours.

Mike Baker < Back Originally Published On: January 27, 2021 Originally Published By: Haliburton Echo Dysart provides dollars, inkind support to Haliburton Sculpture Forest Written By: Mike Baker When Barb Bolin joined the volunteer committee of the Haliburton Sculpture Forest more than two decades ago, she would never have imagined the site would eventually become one of Ontario’s top tourist destinations. Beginning in earnest as a small community initiative in 2000, the vision for the Haliburton Sculpture Forest was clear – to bring more attention to the arts and create an easily accessible and inviting way for people to experience nature in our community. Starting out with three sculptures, installed within the forest inside Glebe Park, the site now boasts 37 hand-crafted sculptures and six “one-of-a-kind” benches created by professional artists from across the world. “Our goal was to bring together art, nature and recreation,” Bolin told Dysart et al council back in December. The inspiration for the site lies across the Atlantic – Grizedale Forest, a large national park tucked deep within England’s Lake District. The site is home to more than 100 sculptures and attracts over 150,000 visitors per year. Over the past 20 years, the committee charged with the operation of the Haliburton Sculpture Forest has raised and invested north of $350,000 in an attempt to establish a similar phenomenon on this side of the pond. Those years of hard work appeared to pay off last year, as more people than ever before travelled up to Haliburton to check the forest out. “This past summer and fall, people were motivated to find unique outdoor and cultural activities they could experience safely. That resulted in an explosion of social media attention, with people posting their experiences from the Haliburton Sculpture Forest,” Bolin said. “This resulted in, over a four month period, double the number of visitors, from 9,000 in 2019 to 18,000 this past summer.” She added, “We estimate, for the whole year, we have had around 30,000 visitors.” While the site garnered the attention of people on social media, it was also highlighted on several websites and blogs. The forest ranked fourth out of 20 sculpture gardens profiled by ToDoCanada.ca, and was the only site in Haliburton County included in the recently published book Unforgettable Ontario: 100 Destinations , written by Canadian author Noel Hudson. The forest was also ranked, by TripAdviser, as the second best attraction in Haliburton, behind only the Haliburton Forest and Wild Life Reserve. Ontario’s Minister of Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture Industries Lisa MacLeod noted the forest was “a perfect mix of nature and heritage” and that it “has an abundance of beauty and meaning” while visiting Haliburton this past summer. “One of the unique attractions of the sculpture forest is that it captures the interest of kids and adults alike, and has something for people from all walks of life and cultures,” Bolin said. “If you go for a walk in the summer, you can hear the forest being enjoyed in multiple languages. Because access is free, and pathways are fairly smooth and wide, it’s accessible both financially and physically.” The increased popularity, however, is starting to take a toll. Some areas of the forest are requiring regular maintenance, due to the number of people walking the trails, and it’s becoming difficult for the volunteer group to keep up. “ We have kept operational costs as low as possible, but we have realized this year the Haliburton Sculpture Forest has reached a tipping point. The dramatic increase in the number of visitors is causing wear and tear on pathways, and is impacting soil around the sculptures,” Bolin said. “The amount of litter has increased, and the number of guide maps needed has doubled.” She continued, “Moving forward, we need to make greater investment to maintain the site to ensure a good visitor experience.” Bolin said a new group, entitled Friends of the Haliburton Sculpture Forest, was being set up to promote the need for more community engagement and assistance in maintaining the park. Long-time committee members are also working alongside several other Glebe Park partners to establish what Bolin described as an endowment fund, which could over time turn into an annual source of funds to help offset the cost of running the forest. Those costs will increase to $32,000 in 2021, Bolin expects. She asked Dysart et al council if they would consider making an annual contribution of $12,500 to the sculpture forest operation. “Approximately 90 per cent of our funding is spent locally, and these funds go directly back into the local community,” Bolin said. “Over the past few years, Dysart has made significant investments into the downtown skate park, the arena, Head Lake Park, boat launches… We’re asking for a small annual investment from the municipality to maintain the forest as a cultural and tourism attraction.” Ward 4 Coun. John Smith wondered if the township could provide some form of in-kind work on an ongoing basis to lower the dollar amount requested. He suggested municipal staff could help with landscaping and general maintenance, something Jim Blake, another member of the sculpture forest committee, indicated would be helpful. Smith went on to suggest that the local sculpture forest committee should consider charging visitors both an entry fee and a parking fee, bringing up statistics from Grizedale Forest in England to drive home his point. “At Grizedale, they charge 8 pounds per day for people to park – that works out to around $15. They also sell annual memberships for around $75. There are some creative approaches that others use to draw more pocket change,” Smith stated. Bolin said the Haliburton Sculpture Forest has always been free to those interested in walking its trails, and that she would hate to ever see that change. At a budget meeting earlier this month, council decided to approve $5,000 in in-kind work for the sculpture forest, to be carried out by township staff, while also writing a cheque for $7,500 to cover other costs. There was a consensus that this would be a one-time funding for now, and that council would converse with the forest committee ahead of next year’s budget to see how they’re doing financially. Read the Original Article Here: https://haliburtonecho.ca/dysart-provides-dollars-inkind-support-to-haliburton-sculpture-forest/ < Previous Article Next Article >

Don Frost Website: donfrostsculptor.com Email: don.frost@sympatico.ca Peterborough born Don Frost had his future path laid out for him by winning first prize in a city wide art exposition at age six in grade one. The following year at age seven, Don had a group showing at the Peterborough Public Library. Public school had its usual trials and tribulations and it was not until grade 10 that Don discovered that he was colour blind to all but the primary colours. At this point Don’s life took a right turn and sculpture was all that he focused on. Don teamed up with a friend in grade 11 who became his art agent and they enjoyed considerable success in the Peterborough area. After high school Don took some time off to do his art and apprentice as a mechanic for a year. In 1973-74 he attended Sheridan Art College followed by a decision to become a professional sculptor having just received a major commission for a large 15' tall sculpture for a new mall being built in Peterborough, Ontario. This was followed by the creation of the largest sculpture in Canada in 1983 by winning a competition for an indoor work for the Michael Starr Building in Oshawa, Ontario. Always seeking new outlets for art Don acquired an art agent in Ottawa which led to an introduction to a patron who kept Don busy creating more than 40 sculptures in a period of twenty years. Don’s work internationally was recently a commission for four large works for a garden in Club Medjulis in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Previously to this in an expansive design project by the late King Hussein for a 1.6 km wall of huge relief panels commemorating the history of Jordan, Don’s work on six of these panels was accepted by King Abdullah. Experiencing greater notoriety for the global uniqueness of his art, Don was presented with awards from Peterborough County and commemorated in the Walk of Fame. Presently Don has art representatives across the United States and Canada. < Back to Artists Contact

2021 < All Sculptures 2021 Downtown Haliburton Sculpture Exhibition Contact Artist for Pricing Athena Brett Davis Athena Athena was known in ancient Greece as the Goddess of Wisdom and War. She was beautiful, courageous, inspirational and known for being the protector of the city. Using all her accolades, I created Athena as a guardian of nature, one that can over see all aspects of her surrounding environmental conditions. Although she is in a fragmented state, this bronze sculpture illustrates the hardships of changes to the natural world that have occurred over time through pollution, global warming and the depletion of forests and marsh lands. Her textural appearance and color of patina, harmonize with the landscaping elements. Athena is also a symbol of strength, surviving the millennium of change, forever watching over and protecting nature Brett Davis Brett Davis was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada in 1957. He graduated with honors from Toronto’s Central Technical School Special Fine Art Program in 1981 where he majored in sculpture, and won The K.A.Griffith Award and The Peter Haworth Award for Meritorious Achievement, and is a member of The Sculptors Society of Canada. He works in all facets of ferrous and non-ferrous metals from welding, fabrication, chasing and fountain design. Brett has also studied ancient and historical patinas for more than 25 years, while practicing in the art of chemical patination, which has gained him a notable reputation as a Patina Specialist in Metal Conservation. With over 25 years of experience, he specializes in the design, manufacturing, installation and maintenance of custom and commissioned bronze works designed specifically for interior and exterior environments. He has worked with many prominent landscaping and architectural firms integrating bronze sculptures and fountains into their unique designs and has won many public art competitions in Ontario, Canada. Brett’s travels abroad have also earned him an international reputation as a bronze artist, participating in many invitational international exhibitions and symposiums, and has numerous private and public works in Asia, United Kingdom, USA and Canada. The Haliburton Sculpture Forest has hosted two of Davis's pieces thus far: "Guardians of the Forest" in our permanent collection and "Athena" in the 2021 downtown exhibit. Artist Contact Information davis@ageofbronze.ca www.ageofbronze.ca

Jiří Genzer created his piece Harmony as part of the 2017 sculpture symposium, Carved on the Canadian Shield, in celebration of Canada 150. Harmony Jiří Genzer Name of Sculpture: Harmony Materials: Limestone Installation Date: June 2017 Number on Map: 29 Go to Gallery Carved on the Canadian Shield: Four artists from three countries visited Haliburton for a three week sculpture symposium in 2017 in celebration of Dysart 150, Ontario 150, and Canada 150. Beginning with a block of limestone, each artist was tasked with creating a piece that reflected the theme of carving on the Canadian Shield. Artist Statement: I developed the idea for “Harmony” a number of years ago to express the concept of a harmonic relationship - supporting, helping and finding joy together. “Harmony” is a continuation of a previous work called “Balance” which portrays keeping all extremes in good balance. For us in Europe, Canada has always been a symbol of freedom, tolerance and harmonic relationships. That is why I chose the Harmony motif for the Sculpture Symposium “Carved on the Canadian Shield”. It represents my vision of Canada and my hopes for a positive future for your country, the Sculpture Forest and the Haliburton School of Art + Design. < Back to Sculptures