Over the years, we’ve been to Calgary about a bazillion times. That’s because our daughter moved there immediately after graduating from high school 22 years ago to go to college and ended up staying. It had been many, many years, however, since we’d spent any time in the downtown core. Yesterday, however, we had a few hours to kill before picking up a friend who was traveling with us. We took a self-guided walking tour to see some of the weird and wonderful outdoor sculptures that add to the vibrant life of the city’s downtown. It was a cool, blustery morning, but thankfully, it rained very little.
Our morning started at the somewhat pricey, but conveniently located City Hall Parkade and our first stop was just around the corner of the building. The Family of Horses, consisting of three statues, was donated to the City of Calgary by Spruce Meadows, a multi-purpose equestrian facility located near the city. The stallion shown in my photo is positioned in such a manner that he overlooks the foal and mare (not shown). At present, however, he stands guard over a temporary memorial to honour Indian Residential School survivors. The city intends to create a permanent memorial elsewhere once a location and design have been chosen.
Next, the Women are Persons statues are located at the corner of Olympic Park. The monument recognizes the role played by Canadian women in the growth of the country and specifically honours the Famous Five, five persistent Alberta women — Emily Murphy, Nellie McClung, Irene Parlby, Louise McKinney and Henrietta Muir Edwards. Through their efforts, Canadian women were legally declared persons and given the right to vote on October 18, 1929. Seventy years later, the Calgary monument was unveiled on October 18, 1999 by then Governor General Adrienne Clarkson. Exactly one year later, a similar monument was unveiled on Parliament Hill in Ottawa.
Of course I had to stop and sit with the famous ladies for a bit!
I remembered the 21-foot-tall Family of Man sculptures from my university days in Calgary in the early 1970s. Designed by Mario Armengol to be displayed at the British Pavilions at Expo 67, they were bought on behalf of Maxwell Cummings and Sons by Robert Cummings and later donated to the City of Calgary. The sculptures depict naked and faceless men and women, devoid of expression, but extending their hands in gestures of goodwill and fellowship. I’m sorry about the streak of rain across the first photo! The weather was at its most blustery at this point in our morning.
When Wonderland, a 39-foot-tall bent wire sculpture of a young girl’s head came into view, hubby’s comment was, “Look! It’s a giant radiation mask!” It did bear an uncanny resemblance to the fitted mask that I wore for every one of the 30 radiation treatments to my neck and jaw back in the summer of 2015. Thankfully, the statue has a much happier meaning. Located in front of the Bow, a crescent shaped skyscraper, it’s meant to represent the dreams of the young people of the province.
Unlike most sculptures, Wonderland allows visitors to view the artwork from the inside as well as out. This is definitely one of the most interesting looking photos I’ve ever taken!
Lined with an eclectic mix of boutiques, high-end retailers, restaurants, cafés, pubs, and bars, as well as two hotels and the Telus Convention Centre, Stephen Avenue is a major pedestrian street stretching along 8th Avenue SW from 4th Street SW to 1st Street SE.
Usually a happening place, the avenue was quiet on a cool morning, but busier close to lunch time when we were headed back to the vehicle. It was along Stephen Avenue that we stopped to see The Conversation, a life-sized bronze statue of two businessmen deep in conversation. Created by William Hodd McElcheran, the popular sculpture originally belonged to Norcen Energy Resources who donated it to the City of Calgary in 1981. It has stood on Stephen Avenue ever since.
A little further in our walk, we came to Central Memorial Park. With the peonies in full bloom, it was a beautiful and peaceful spot.
Across the street from the park at the corner of 4th Street SW and 13th Avenue SW stood what was definitely one of the strangest sculptures that we saw. Counting Crows was created by Calgary artist Evelyn Grant who handed it over to the city in 2001. Inspired by a traditional English rhyme that appears on the sidewalk below it, the sculpture resembles a windmill such as those that were once seen across the prairie. If you look closely, you’ll see that each realistic looking crow bears a number on its chest.
By this time we realized that we weren’t far from the Calgary Board of Education building where our daughter works, so we stopped in for a very quick visit before beginning the long trek back to our vehicle. Across the Barb Scott Park, next to her building, I spotted the last piece of public art that we’d see. The shape of Chinook Arc drew it’s inspiration from the historic Beltline Streetcar loop that once encircled the neighbourhood, as well as the Chinook arch, a unique cloud formation that occurs along the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains. Though we didn’t get close enough to investigate, I’ve since learned that it’s an interactive and illuminated installation that would likely be quite something to see lit up after dark.
As it was, we had to hoof it to meet our friend and get back to the parkade before our three hour time limit expired. We walked a total of 8.72 km (5.42 miles) and proved to ourselves once again that walking is the best way to see a city!
