Sculpture Forest to mark sesquicentennial with special celebration

By Angelica Ingram


Feb. 7 2017

There are many birthdays to celebrate this year including Canada’s the province’s and the municipality of Dysart.

To mark all of these occasions the Haliburton Sculpture Forest is planning a special event titled 150 Years on the Canadian Shield.

Last week the province’s Ministry of Tourism Culture and Sport announced it will be giving $10000 to support the event which will take place this spring/summer said Sculpture Forest curator Jim Blake.

The idea is to have a series of sculptures created and unveiled this year said Blake.

“We’re having like a little mini sculpture symposium” he said.

Some of the former sculptors who have created pieces for the forest such as John McKinnon are coming back to spearhead the project.

“Each sculptor will get a refrigerator sized piece of limestone which they then get to work with and we have really no idea what they’re going to create” said Blake. “It’s a celebratory event.”

The sculptures once completed will be placed together in the forest and will become permanent additions.

The hope is that they are connected in some way and reflect a Canadian conversation.

“What we’re hoping to do is have the public come and watch them carve. We also hope to have once the whole thing is installed a procession starting in Haliburton and going along Head Lake trail and arriving at the spot.”

Blake said the hope is the event will engage children and school groups.

The event has already received support and financial donations including the provincial funding.

The idea behind the event came from the Sculpture Forest’s board of directors who have been thinking for some time about ways they can celebrate Canada and Ontario’s sesquicentennial said Blake.

More details about the event will be released closer to the date.

“We want to get the community as involved as much as possible in this” said Blake.