A new Grandmother Sturgeon statue has been unveiled by the Gitche Namewikwedong Reconciliation Garden committee at Kelso Beach Park in Owen Sound.
Occurring on Oct. 2 around 4 p.m., Susan Staves of the Chippewas of Nawash at Neyaashiinigmiing says residents and Indigenous people from around the area gathered at Kelso, along with dignitaries including MP Alex Ruff for the unveiling.
Staves notes when they initially put out a notice for proposals for different artists to undertake the assignment about a year ago, they decided to go with Kathryn Corbiere.
Corbiere is the Owner and Operator of One KWE, a metal fabrication and design company on Manitoulin Island.
“We liked Kathryn and her vision and her work, she is very accomplished,” says Staves.
Staves says they wanted to have the statue set up before the snow came in, as well as before the Chi-Cheemaun ferry had finished its run, as the Owen Sound Transportation Company provided the trip for Corbiere and the sturgeon.
The M’Chigeeng First Nation artist, who spoke at the unveiling, described her work and the use of various metal materials to construct the statue, as well as its various features.
“My grandmothers are survivors of the residential schools, they were such an important project for me that, to follow through and create this piece in their honour, and everyone else to attended the schools. It has been such a tough year for everyone, and to have this honour to create this piece, was really special,” says Corbiere.
Corbiere says included on the statue, are the numbers her grandmothers were given when they attended residential schools.
“Each attendant that went to the school, they were given numbers and that is what they were referred to by, not by their name but by their number
Corbiere says she was assisted by her parents who helped her pick the stones to put into the underside of the statue as well as with the Ojibway floral patters from Manitoulin Island.
“It’s creative of two various metals, and that is my medium as a metal worker. So blending the two stainless and steel, kind of have tension on each other, and that is where I feel I like to display my work, is balancing the elegance of the florist stainless against the rusted steel to show the tension in the two materials,” says Corbiere.
Corbiere adds stainless is an everlasting material, therefore she wished for it to represent the Ojibway floral patterns.
Residents are able to visit Kelso and view the statue at the southern end of the park.