Artists Chosen for War of 1812 Public Art
- EFN Staff | December 16, 2013
Whitecap Dakota First Nation (WDFN) recently announced the selection of Adrian Stimson, Jean-Sebastien Gauthier and Ian (Happy) Grove as the design team to create and implement a monument and interpretive panels commemorating the Prairies contribution to the War of 1812.
The objective of this public art project is to commemorate and interpret the role and significance of the War of 1812 in a provincial and local context. The project will commemorate the participants of the War of 1812 whose descendants now reside in the Prairies. This includes the Dakota First Nation and other multicultural allies, who have received little acknowledgement in the broader national Bicentennial commemorations.
After a rigorous selection process the Saskatoon team was chosen from 15 submissions.
"This is a great honour for all three of us to be able to create this 'Spirit of Alliance' piece to commemorate the people involved in 1812," said artist Adrian Stimson on behalf of the team of artists. "The installation will pay homage to the Dakota role in the War of 1812 and hopefully capture a snap shot in time."
The next steps will see the Design Team preparing two maquettes for review by the WDFN Monument Committee. The process also includes approvals of the work by Meewasin and City of Saskatoon.
These maquettes are available for public viewing courtesy of the Mendel Art Gallery. The actual pieces of art will be a bit larger than life size and the tepee will be wrapped in a canvas.
The maquettes can be viewed by the public on Friday, December 13 from 3 9 p.m., and during regular gallery hours (9 a.m. 9 p.m.) Saturday, December 14, and Sunday, December 15. The public can speak to the artists on site from 11 a.m. 12 noon on Saturday, December 14.
The WDFN gratefully acknowledges the support of the Mendel Art Gallery in the public presentation of the design concepts. The proposed site of the monument is River Landing at the Roundabout at Avenue A and Spadina Crescent in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, with an anticipated installation of fall, 2014