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Angus Sullivan < Back Originally Published On: July 4, 2017 Originally Published By: Haliburton Echo Voyage Written By: Angus Sullivan Work created by Mary Ellen Farrow in 2017. There have been a number of new additions to the Haliburton Sculpture Forest this summer. As part of the celebration of Canada, Ontario, and Dysart 150, four artists, from around the world and across the country, were invited to Haliburton to take part in the 2017 Sculpture Symposium. Each sculptor was charged with creating a new piece for the Sculpture Forest out of a large block of limestone based on the theme “Carved on the Canadian Shield.” The canoe is a fundamental part of the history of the Canadian Shield. It was created and used by the indigenous people, (and adopted by early European settlers) as an efficient means of transportation, exploration, trade and commerce. The canoe is still a part of our culture today for sport, recreation and a way to travel to the wild areas of the country. The sculpture is a voyage through time, space and across cultures. It is a bit of an enigma, seeing a fully packed canoe in the forest, but that is part of the fun of the piece. The way it is situated you can imagine it on the bank of a river or travelling through the rapids. Mary Ellen wanted the sculpture to be interactive, for children to be able to climb into it and play. You can come see “Voyage” at the sculpture forest now, along with the three other new additions. Make sure to also check out the grand opening on July 25th. The Haliburton Sculpture Forest is located in Glebe Park on 297 College Drive. This unique collection of 36 sculptures by Canadian and International artists is always open to the public for your own discovery. Free guided tours occur on Tuesdays and Wednesdays in July and August. You can also use the sculpture forest app (download PocketSights and search for Haliburton) or visit the website to learn more about the sculptures. www.haliburtonsculptureforest.ca < Previous Article Next Article >

Gord Peteran has been creating artworks for corporate offices, public institutions and private clients for the past 20 years. He is a graduate of the Ontario College of Art. Peteran has lectured and been published extensively across Canada and the U.S. and has participated in numerous exhibitions and conferences. As well as being a professor at the Ontario College of Art and Design University in Toronto, Gord has also taught at Sheridan College in Oakville, the Rhode Island School of Design in Providence, the Haystack Mountain School in Maine, the Penland School in North Carolina and The California College of Arts. He has done many Artist Residencies across the continent. Gord has been the recipient of many Government Arts Council awards and grants throughout his career. In 2001 he won the Jean A. Chalmers National Arts Award and was also inducted into the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts. In 2004 he received a Chalmers Arts Fellowship. In 2005 Gord created the iconic "Red Doors" of the main entrance to the Haliburton School of Art + Design. Between 2006 and 2009 a mid career retrospective of his artwork toured nine Art Museums across the US. This exhibition was organized by the Milwaukee Art Museum in conjunction with the Chipstone Foundation, and supported by the Windgate Charitable Foundation. It was curated by Dr. Glenn Adamson, Head of Graduate Studies, Research Department at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London England. Dr. Adamson writes, “Peteran has launched a boundary crossing career opening up the category of furniture to an unprecedented range of psychological and conceptual content. He uses found objects, assemblage techniques, metal casting, fine cabinetry and drawing to create artworks that challenge the established Art, Design and Craft terms of reference.” A catalogue titled “FURNITURE MEETS ITS MAKER” is available through amazon.ca. https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/0944110843/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_taft_p1_i6 < All Artists Gord Peteran ABOUT SCULPTOR Artist Bio Gord Peteran has been creating artworks for corporate offices, public institutions and private clients for the past 20 years. He is a graduate of the Ontario College of Art. Peteran has lectured and been published extensively across Canada and the U.S. and has participated in numerous exhibitions and conferences. As well as being a professor at the Ontario College of Art and Design University in Toronto, Gord has also taught at Sheridan College in Oakville, the Rhode Island School of Design in Providence, the Haystack Mountain School in Maine, the Penland School in North Carolina and The California College of Arts. He has done many Artist Residencies across the continent. Gord has been the recipient of many Government Arts Council awards and grants throughout his career. In 2001 he won the Jean A. Chalmers National Arts Award and was also inducted into the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts. In 2004 he received a Chalmers Arts Fellowship. In 2005 Gord created the iconic "Red Doors" of the main entrance to the Haliburton School of Art + Design. Between 2006 and 2009 a mid career retrospective of his artwork toured nine Art Museums across the US. This exhibition was organized by the Milwaukee Art Museum in conjunction with the Chipstone Foundation, and supported by the Windgate Charitable Foundation. It was curated by Dr. Glenn Adamson, Head of Graduate Studies, Research Department at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London England. Dr. Adamson writes, “Peteran has launched a boundary crossing career opening up the category of furniture to an unprecedented range of psychological and conceptual content. He uses found objects, assemblage techniques, metal casting, fine cabinetry and drawing to create artworks that challenge the established Art, Design and Craft terms of reference.” A catalogue titled “FURNITURE MEETS ITS MAKER” is available through amazon.ca. https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/0944110843/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_taft_p1_i6 Artist Website Installed Sculptures Passage Previous Sculpture Next Sculpture

John Beachli moved to Haliburton over thirty years ago and started a construction company. John did a lot of work with stone and became skilled at dry stone wall creation and began to teach these skills at the Haliburton School of The Arts. John was inspired by the work of George Pratt, a renowned stone sculptor and instructor at the school. (Pratt’s sculpture “Pan” is part of the Haliburton Sculpture Forest collection) He began studying with George to learn the craft and art of stone carving and spent time over the years with George in his studio in Vancouver. John now dedicates most of his time to stone carving. In July 2006, John was artist-in-residence at the Haliburton Sculpture Forest – working on this sculpture near the entrance to the Sculpture Forest and the Haliburton School of The Arts and inviting the public to visit and watch the work in progress. John donated the completed sculpture to the Sculpture Forest. It was installed on its current site in August 2006 and officially inducted on October 21, 2006.Two of John’s dramatic sculptures can be seen at the entrance to the Haliburton Hospital. < All Artists John Beachli ABOUT SCULPTOR Artist Bio John Beachli moved to Haliburton over thirty years ago and started a construction company. John did a lot of work with stone and became skilled at dry stone wall creation and began to teach these skills at the Haliburton School of The Arts. John was inspired by the work of George Pratt, a renowned stone sculptor and instructor at the school. (Pratt’s sculpture “Pan” is part of the Haliburton Sculpture Forest collection) He began studying with George to learn the craft and art of stone carving and spent time over the years with George in his studio in Vancouver. John now dedicates most of his time to stone carving. In July 2006, John was artist-in-residence at the Haliburton Sculpture Forest – working on this sculpture near the entrance to the Sculpture Forest and the Haliburton School of The Arts and inviting the public to visit and watch the work in progress. John donated the completed sculpture to the Sculpture Forest. It was installed on its current site in August 2006 and officially inducted on October 21, 2006.Two of John’s dramatic sculptures can be seen at the entrance to the Haliburton Hospital. Link Unavailable Installed Sculptures To Cut or Not To Cut Previous Sculpture Next Sculpture

Aaron Galbraith has been either living or vacationing in the Haliburton region his entire life. He spent many summers living at his grandfathers cottage in the small community of West Guilford, before moving to Haliburton at the age of 7. Aaron has remained in the Haliburton Highlands, except for a brief stint of living in Toronto to go to school. He holds a degree from Humber College in Landscape Design and Horticulture. For over 14 years, Galbraith has been doing landscape work in the Haliburton area, and has a passion for creating unique landscapes using all materials, though he specializes in natural stone work. Aaron got his start in stonework at Don and Carole Finn's home, where he worked their gardens. Email: galbraithaaron@gmail.com < All Artists Aaron Galbraith ABOUT SCULPTOR Artist Bio Aaron Galbraith has been either living or vacationing in the Haliburton region his entire life. He spent many summers living at his grandfathers cottage in the small community of West Guilford, before moving to Haliburton at the age of 7. Aaron has remained in the Haliburton Highlands, except for a brief stint of living in Toronto to go to school. He holds a degree from Humber College in Landscape Design and Horticulture. For over 14 years, Galbraith has been doing landscape work in the Haliburton area, and has a passion for creating unique landscapes using all materials, though he specializes in natural stone work. Aaron got his start in stonework at Don and Carole Finn's home, where he worked their gardens. Email: galbraithaaron@gmail.com Email Galbraith Installed Sculptures Spirit of the Wild Previous Sculpture Next Sculpture

Darlene Bolahood engages in many forms of visual communication through the arts. She completed her B.Sc. at the University of Toronto, focusing on organic chemistry and philosophy, then continued to complete her MFA at the University of Waterloo. She has worked in industry as an artist and designer in textiles, retail and residential design, fashion and costume. She has exhibited her own studio work in mixed media painting and sculpture in both public and private galleries. Curriculum design and development projects for Ontario Colleges have included creative studies in fine arts, fine crafts, design, and computer animation and graphics. She is full-time faculty at the Haliburton Campus of Fleming College, delivering programs in Studio Art Certificates as well as the Visual and Creative Arts Diploma. < All Artists Darlene Bolahood ABOUT SCULPTOR Artist Bio Darlene Bolahood engages in many forms of visual communication through the arts. She completed her B.Sc. at the University of Toronto, focusing on organic chemistry and philosophy, then continued to complete her MFA at the University of Waterloo. She has worked in industry as an artist and designer in textiles, retail and residential design, fashion and costume. She has exhibited her own studio work in mixed media painting and sculpture in both public and private galleries. Curriculum design and development projects for Ontario Colleges have included creative studies in fine arts, fine crafts, design, and computer animation and graphics. She is full-time faculty at the Haliburton Campus of Fleming College, delivering programs in Studio Art Certificates as well as the Visual and Creative Arts Diploma. More About Bolahood Installed Sculptures Redwing Frond Previous Sculpture Next Sculpture

Noelle Dupret Smith < Back Originally Published On: July 31, 2018 Originally Published By: Haliburton Sculpture Forest Lament of the Mythical Sculptures Written By: Noelle Dupret Smith I am Noelle Dupret Smith, this summer’s Sculpture Forest outreach coordinator. Over the next six weeks, I will be introducing and comparing sculptures of the Downtown Sculpture Project and the Sculpture Forest. This week, I am featuring the interesting duo of Julie Campagna’s Weeping Gargoyle, located near the Bank of Montreal on Highland Street, and George Pratt’s Pan, in the Sculpture Forest. Both are mythical figures, both with interesting and sad stories. The Weeping Gargoyle instantly brought to mind the eerie and alarming gargoyle scene in Ghostbusters. However, after doing some research, I learned that gargoyles are actually forces for good; placed on public buildings to ward off evil spirits—obviously misrepresented in Ghostbusters. Reason enough to weep! In the artist’s mind, the gargoyle is weeping for the state of the earth. Pan, god of the forest in ancient Greece, has a different lament. Pan, who appears as a goat/man, was enamoured with Syrinx, a wood nymph. She wasn’t interested! To avoid Pan, Syrinx had the water nymphs disguise her as a water reed. Pan searched for Syrinx, cutting down reeds in the hopes of finding her. Unsuccessful, he fashioned an instrument out of the reeds and tried to attract her with beautiful music. No luck. He is still alone playing his pipes; pining for Syrinx. Please wander down main street of Haliburton and see the Downtown Sculpture exhibition of 6 sculptures and visit Haliburton Sculpture Forest. There are free tours of the Sculpture Forest, Tuesdays 10:00–11:30am and Wednesdays 12:10–12:50pm. < Previous Article Next Article >

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 >

Tizirai started sculpting in 1992 and was unwavering in his pursuit for excellency in his work until the day he died. Even in his last days when he was no longer feeling healthy, Tizirai still found strength to sculpt a few pieces as a way of taking his mind off his illness. During his lifetime, Tizirai’s work had an unmistakable trademark of contrasted handshakes. The Handshake sculptures were his expression of his need to see inter-racial unity, he shared Martin Luther’s dream of seeing a world were people are not judged by the colour of their skins but by the content of their character. Taurai Tigere-Tandi the Chairman of Chitungwiza Arts Centre described Tizirai Gumbere as a hardworking Artist who was focused on his work. *Adapted from Gumbere's obituary published on avacarts.com < All Artists Tizirai Gumbere ABOUT SCULPTOR Artist Bio Tizirai started sculpting in 1992 and was unwavering in his pursuit for excellency in his work until the day he died. Even in his last days when he was no longer feeling healthy, Tizirai still found strength to sculpt a few pieces as a way of taking his mind off his illness. During his lifetime, Tizirai’s work had an unmistakable trademark of contrasted handshakes. The Handshake sculptures were his expression of his need to see inter-racial unity, he shared Martin Luther’s dream of seeing a world were people are not judged by the colour of their skins but by the content of their character. Taurai Tigere-Tandi the Chairman of Chitungwiza Arts Centre described Tizirai Gumbere as a hardworking Artist who was focused on his work. *Adapted from Gumbere's obituary published on avacarts.com Tizirai Gumbere's Obituary Installed Sculptures Together We Achieve the Extraordinary Previous Sculpture Next Sculpture

Peter is a skilled designer, metal artist and wood worker. A graduate of SITAL, he has twice received the Betty Kantor Scholarship Award for students who display excellence in the program. Before studying furniture design, Peter received a degree in Communications from Wilfrid Laurier University. Born in Toronto, he has been able to widen his perspective by traveling and living abroad in Japan, Switzerland, and Denmark. Peter has also studied design in Denmark where his work was exhibited at the prestigious Denmark Design Skole. His work has been exhibited online, in print media, and at Fluid Living, Distillery District location. Peter is energetically involved in the Toronto craft and design community, most recently is his involvement with Designers Walk Home and Style Studio Tour where his work is displayed at Weavers Art. In the time of his young career, Peter has been developing working relationships with residential clients, interior designers, and architects. Email: peter@holtzundmetal.com < All Artists Peter Wehrspann ABOUT SCULPTOR Artist Bio Peter is a skilled designer, metal artist and wood worker. A graduate of SITAL, he has twice received the Betty Kantor Scholarship Award for students who display excellence in the program. Before studying furniture design, Peter received a degree in Communications from Wilfrid Laurier University. Born in Toronto, he has been able to widen his perspective by traveling and living abroad in Japan, Switzerland, and Denmark. Peter has also studied design in Denmark where his work was exhibited at the prestigious Denmark Design Skole. His work has been exhibited online, in print media, and at Fluid Living, Distillery District location. Peter is energetically involved in the Toronto craft and design community, most recently is his involvement with Designers Walk Home and Style Studio Tour where his work is displayed at Weavers Art. In the time of his young career, Peter has been developing working relationships with residential clients, interior designers, and architects. Email: peter@holtzundmetal.com Artist Website Installed Sculptures Current Previous Sculpture Next Sculpture

A dance event in three parts. < All Events Dance Rx³: Re-emergence, Re-engagement, & Re-connection A dance event in three parts. Tuesday, September 13, 2022 Saturday, October 22, 2022 Address: Haliburton Sculpture Forest, College Drive, Haliburton, ON, Canada About Dance RX3 A dance event in three parts: Re-emergence and Re-engagement in September 2021 and Re-connection in October 2022. This project was made possible via a collaboration between Dance Happens Here Haliburton (DH³), Throwdown Collective, and the Haliburton Sculpture Forest. From September 13-18 visitors had the chance to see dance artists Brian Solomon, Noriko Yamamoto, Phylicia Browne-Charles, Madeline Friel and Throwdown Collective (Mairéad Filgate, Brodie Stevenson and Irvin Chow) as they spent a week in solo creative dance residency in the Haliburton Sculpture Forest. These selected artists were invited to take an existing work or idea—perhaps halted by the pandemic—and to re-engage, re-configure, and adapt it to the outdoor environment, exploring it through a new lens. In Winter of 2022 (date TBD) the dancers and choreographers will get reconvene for a live event do discuss their work, sit in for a Q&A and possibly perform their work live (depending on pandemic restrictions). Toronto-based Throwdown Collective is an award-winning contemporary dance company that supports the collaborative creative pursuits of founders Zhenya Cerneacov, Mairéad Filgate and Brodie Stevenson. The Collective’s first three site-specific works, originally commissioned for Toronto's Dusk Dances Festival, went on to tour throughout Canada and beyond, including the 85th Anniversary Celebration of Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, MA and Fall for Dance North at the Sony Centre for the Performing Arts. Their first full-length evening of stage works, presented by DanceWorks (TO) received two Dora Mavor Moore Awards for Outstanding Choreography and a total of eight nominations. Throwdown Collective enjoys a long-standing relationship with Dance Happens Here Haliburton and the Haliburton community. They created two full-length works as artists-in-residence at the Sculpture Forest (2018, 2019), and a short film commissioned by DH3 during the COVID-19 lockdown. They are thrilled to be returning to Haliburton for another exciting project. Learn More About: The Dancers Throwdown Collective DH3 September 13-18, 2021 Re-emergence We asked the Throwdown Collective to invite four dancers/choreographers, Brian Solomon, Anishinaabe dance artist, Noriko Yamamoto, Japanese-Canadian mime/dance artist and two emerging dance artists Phylicia Browne-Charles and Madeline Friel to spend a week in solo creative dance residency in the Haliburton Sculpture Forest in September 2021. These selected artists have been invited to take an existing work or idea—perhaps halted by the pandemic—and to re-engage, re-configure, and adapt it to the outdoor environment, exploring it through a new lens. Coming a year and a half after most creative rehearsals and performances were halted, this creative time in Haliburton will offer artists an open week of personal reflection, re-emergence into creative life post-pandemic, and a gentle entry back into artistic social exchange. September 13-18, 2021 Re-engagement The dance artists will reside in Haliburton with seven days to think, create, and experiment, inspired by the beautiful forest surroundings, the changing colour of the leaves and the sculptures nestled along the trails. Community members and visitors are invited to wander through the Sculpture Forest and observe the artists in their process. The Sculpture Forest attracts a culturally diverse group of visitors of all ages from the GTA and throughout the region. It is also a favourite place to walk for local residents, within walking distance of three local schools and adjacent to the Haliburton School of Art + Design. A casual meet and greet for artists and community members will be organized at the end of the week, as well as informal events for participating artists to gather, socialize, and exchange ideas. The objective of the week is to offer artists a supportive and nurturing space and opportunity to re-ignite their creativity and spark artistic exchange after a tumultuous time. The focus is on process with no expectation of a final product. Throughout the week the process will be documented on film including short interviews with participating artists. October 22, 2022 Re-connection This film footage has been edited into a creative montage and will be screened at a culminating live event in Haliburton in Fall 2022. The participating artists are returning to Haliburton for the screening, to perform their work before a live audience and to participate in a artists talkback about their experience with re-emergence, re-engagement and re-connection! Watch the video here. Thank you to all our sponsors! This event is funded by the Goverment of Canada Photo Gallery: < Previous Next >

Sculpture Forest comes alive with performances, movement and music. < All Events Sculpture Forest Re-imagined 2018 Sculpture Forest comes alive with performances, movement and music. Monday, August 6, 2018 Tuesday, August 7, 2018 Address: Haliburton Sculpture Forest, College Drive, Haliburton, ON, Canada More About DH3 Sculpture Forest Re-imagined was a unique, walk-about experience featuring acclaimed contemporary dance company Throwdown Collective ; cellist Bethany Houghton; coronet player Hugh Taylor; storytelling, psychedelic, blues/rock trio Dark is our Danger; Heritage Ballet dancers; and more. Presented by DH3 (Dance Happens Here Haliburton) in collaboration with the Haliburton Sculpture Forest. DH3 is a part of the Haliburton County Community Co-operative “It’s a different way of experiencing the Sculpture Forest.” said Sculpture Forest curator and DH3 committee member, Jim Blake. “It is fun, thought provoking and eye-opening to see how these incredible performing artists respond to, interpret, animate and amplify the Sculpture Forest. Throwdown Collective are well known to Haliburton through their performances in Dusk Dances Haliburton over the years. This year they have returned to the community as artists in residence in the Sculpture Forest. We posed the question: “What would happen if the Sculpture Forest came alive with movement and music?” Throwdown Collective are working with local artists to explore that question and to co-create The Sculpture Forest Re-imagined. Photo Gallery: < Previous Next >

Youkie Stagg < Back Originally Published On: January 1, 2016 Originally Published By: Haliburton Echo Dreaming Stones Written By: Youkie Stagg Work created by Kevin Lockau in 2001. When the first settlers in Ontario tried to develop farms and agriculture they were struck with the major obstacle of the Canadian Shield. To successfully grow their food they had to remove large amounts of rock from the ground so that the soil would be deep enough. Lockau used these boulders leftover from the first settlers for the piece “Dreaming Stones.” The piece is a 2.75 meter tall totem made of 6 granite boulders from Ontario. At the bottom of the totem is a sleeping wolf or coyote, which shows the preservation of nature. Going up the totem you can see leaves representing regeneration, the faces of the first pioneers, deep grooves of glacial erosion and plowing of the land, concentric circles representing the passing of time, and lastly the owl representing the modern day and the wisdom that comes with it. The piece reflects the struggles of the first settlers as well as the changing relationship between mankind and nature. The Sculpture Forest offers free guided tours each Tuesday from 10-11:30 am and a shorter “Curator Selection” tour on Wednesday from 12:10 – 12:50. Meet at the kiosk in the Fleming College parking lot. < Previous Article Next Article >