Canadian City Pulls Bison Sculpture In Row Over Colonial Representation Canada

The project, which cost C$375,000 (US$285,000), includes two large bronze figures that were intended to stand at either end of a pedestrian bridge in Edmonton. At one end, a 13-foot bison had to look out over the water. On the other hand, a colonial fur trader, 11.5 feet tall, would sit atop a pile of bison hides. But 12 years after they were first commissioned — and six years after they were completed — Alberta’s capital announced last week that it was scrapping plans to display the sculptures. “While some audiences may find the artwork thought-provoking, for others it may cause harm and trigger painful memories. For this reason, it is not considered to include all Edmontonians,” the city said in a press release. The artist responsible for the sculptures, Ken Lum, said that after years of waiting to see his statues unveiled, he was blindsided by the decision. “This has implications, both for artistic expression and for the authoritarian way in which this decision is made. You can never have absolute consensus on anything. Is that enough to refuse to publish a work or upload it to the public domain?’ Lum, chair of the fine arts department at the University of Pennsylvania Stuart Weitzman School of Design, said the trader’s sculpture was based on a famous photo depicting a similar scene shortly before the bison population collapsed. In the mid to late 1800s, plains bison, once an abundant staple food for native communities, were hunted to extinction by colonial settlers. Hunting was driven as much by profit as by the larger political goal of subjugating indigenous communities. “For the people crossing the bridge, I wanted them to experience a palpable tension through the anxious look from one to the other,” Lum said. “I don’t really see how a photo based on an infamous photo, taken at the height of the buffalo slaughter, could be interpreted as an affirmation of colonialism. Neither the city nor the Arts Council have explained this to me. That would be nice and kind of them. I’m all ears,” Lum said. A city spokesman said a better understanding of “historical injustices to indigenous peoples” contributed to the decision, which came as Canada continues to grapple with the dark legacy of colonialism. Lum, who is a member of the Monument Lab, a US-based nonprofit that studies how to tell history in the public landscape, said he met with Native elders throughout the process and consulted with communities. But Lewis Cardinal, a member of the Wicihitowin Talking Circle that advised the city of Edmonton and the Edmonton Arts Council, said the bison was not an appropriate symbol of the area’s past. Cardinal said beaver pelts – not bison – were the main driver of the region’s economy. “If you’re going to consult with indigenous people, you have to really listen,” he told CTV News. The city’s position has sparked a larger conversation about public art, history and meaning. While Edmonton has pulled the plug on Lam’s project, a statue of Winston Churchill is to be erected in the city of Calgary. “Anything placed in a public space will have a range of responses, based on literacy and many other factors,” Lum said. “But I think art should be challenging. And that challenge includes requiring the audience to really invest in trying to interpret the play and invest in trying to read the play. “Its a shame [the city] chose to frame it in a certain way, because I think the dialogue that would have resulted from my work would have been very useful and productive for everyone.”

title: “Canadian City Pulls Bison Sculpture In Row Over Colonial Representation Canada Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-11” author: “Richard Mccrae”

The project, which cost C$375,000 (US$285,000), includes two large bronze figures that were intended to stand at either end of a pedestrian bridge in Edmonton. At one end, a 13-foot bison had to look out over the water. On the other hand, a colonial fur trader, 11.5 feet tall, would sit atop a pile of bison hides. But 12 years after they were first commissioned — and six years after they were completed — Alberta’s capital announced last week that it was scrapping plans to display the sculptures. “While some audiences may find the artwork thought-provoking, for others it may cause harm and trigger painful memories. For this reason, it is not considered to include all Edmontonians,” the city said in a press release. The artist responsible for the sculptures, Ken Lum, said that after years of waiting to see his statues unveiled, he was blindsided by the decision. “This has implications, both for artistic expression and for the authoritarian way in which this decision is made. You can never have absolute consensus on anything. Is that enough to refuse to publish a work or upload it to the public domain?’ Lum, chair of the fine arts department at the University of Pennsylvania Stuart Weitzman School of Design, said the trader’s sculpture was based on a famous photo depicting a similar scene shortly before the bison population collapsed. In the mid to late 1800s, plains bison, once an abundant staple food for native communities, were hunted to extinction by colonial settlers. Hunting was driven as much by profit as by the larger political goal of subjugating indigenous communities. “For the people crossing the bridge, I wanted them to experience a palpable tension through the anxious look from one to the other,” Lum said. “I don’t really see how a photo based on an infamous photo, taken at the height of the buffalo slaughter, could be interpreted as an affirmation of colonialism. Neither the city nor the Arts Council have explained this to me. That would be nice and kind of them. I’m all ears,” Lum said. A city spokesman said a better understanding of “historical injustices to indigenous peoples” contributed to the decision, which came as Canada continues to grapple with the dark legacy of colonialism. Lum, who is a member of the Monument Lab, a US-based nonprofit that studies how to tell history in the public landscape, said he met with Native elders throughout the process and consulted with communities. But Lewis Cardinal, a member of the Wicihitowin Talking Circle that advised the city of Edmonton and the Edmonton Arts Council, said the bison was not an appropriate symbol of the area’s past. Cardinal said beaver pelts – not bison – were the main driver of the region’s economy. “If you’re going to consult with indigenous people, you have to really listen,” he told CTV News. The city’s position has sparked a larger conversation about public art, history and meaning. While Edmonton has pulled the plug on Lam’s project, a statue of Winston Churchill is to be erected in the city of Calgary. “Anything placed in a public space will have a range of responses, based on literacy and many other factors,” Lum said. “But I think art should be challenging. And that challenge includes requiring the audience to really invest in trying to interpret the play and invest in trying to read the play. “Its a shame [the city] chose to frame it in a certain way, because I think the dialogue that would have resulted from my work would have been very useful and productive for everyone.”

title: “Canadian City Pulls Bison Sculpture In Row Over Colonial Representation Canada Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-02” author: “Clifford Watland”

The project, which cost C$375,000 (US$285,000), includes two large bronze figures that were intended to stand at either end of a pedestrian bridge in Edmonton. At one end, a 13-foot bison had to look out over the water. On the other hand, a colonial fur trader, 11.5 feet tall, would sit atop a pile of bison hides. But 12 years after they were first commissioned — and six years after they were completed — Alberta’s capital announced last week that it was scrapping plans to display the sculptures. “While some audiences may find the artwork thought-provoking, for others it may cause harm and trigger painful memories. For this reason, it is not considered to include all Edmontonians,” the city said in a press release. The artist responsible for the sculptures, Ken Lum, said that after years of waiting to see his statues unveiled, he was blindsided by the decision. “This has implications, both for artistic expression and for the authoritarian way in which this decision is made. You can never have absolute consensus on anything. Is that enough to refuse to publish a work or upload it to the public domain?’ Lum, chair of the fine arts department at the University of Pennsylvania Stuart Weitzman School of Design, said the trader’s sculpture was based on a famous photo depicting a similar scene shortly before the bison population collapsed. In the mid to late 1800s, plains bison, once an abundant staple food for native communities, were hunted to extinction by colonial settlers. Hunting was driven as much by profit as by the larger political goal of subjugating indigenous communities. “For the people crossing the bridge, I wanted them to experience a palpable tension through the anxious look from one to the other,” Lum said. “I don’t really see how a photo based on an infamous photo, taken at the height of the buffalo slaughter, could be interpreted as an affirmation of colonialism. Neither the city nor the Arts Council have explained this to me. That would be nice and kind of them. I’m all ears,” Lum said. A city spokesman said a better understanding of “historical injustices to indigenous peoples” contributed to the decision, which came as Canada continues to grapple with the dark legacy of colonialism. Lum, who is a member of the Monument Lab, a US-based nonprofit that studies how to tell history in the public landscape, said he met with Native elders throughout the process and consulted with communities. But Lewis Cardinal, a member of the Wicihitowin Talking Circle that advised the city of Edmonton and the Edmonton Arts Council, said the bison was not an appropriate symbol of the area’s past. Cardinal said beaver pelts – not bison – were the main driver of the region’s economy. “If you’re going to consult with indigenous people, you have to really listen,” he told CTV News. The city’s position has sparked a larger conversation about public art, history and meaning. While Edmonton has pulled the plug on Lam’s project, a statue of Winston Churchill is to be erected in the city of Calgary. “Anything placed in a public space will have a range of responses, based on literacy and many other factors,” Lum said. “But I think art should be challenging. And that challenge includes requiring the audience to really invest in trying to interpret the play and invest in trying to read the play. “Its a shame [the city] chose to frame it in a certain way, because I think the dialogue that would have resulted from my work would have been very useful and productive for everyone.”

title: “Canadian City Pulls Bison Sculpture In Row Over Colonial Representation Canada Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-13” author: “Rafael Vito”

The project, which cost C$375,000 (US$285,000), includes two large bronze figures that were intended to stand at either end of a pedestrian bridge in Edmonton. At one end, a 13-foot bison had to look out over the water. On the other hand, a colonial fur trader, 11.5 feet tall, would sit atop a pile of bison hides. But 12 years after they were first commissioned — and six years after they were completed — Alberta’s capital announced last week that it was scrapping plans to display the sculptures. “While some audiences may find the artwork thought-provoking, for others it may cause harm and trigger painful memories. For this reason, it is not considered to include all Edmontonians,” the city said in a press release. The artist responsible for the sculptures, Ken Lum, said that after years of waiting to see his statues unveiled, he was blindsided by the decision. “This has implications, both for artistic expression and for the authoritarian way in which this decision is made. You can never have absolute consensus on anything. Is that enough to refuse to publish a work or upload it to the public domain?’ Lum, chair of the fine arts department at the University of Pennsylvania Stuart Weitzman School of Design, said the trader’s sculpture was based on a famous photo depicting a similar scene shortly before the bison population collapsed. In the mid to late 1800s, plains bison, once an abundant staple food for native communities, were hunted to extinction by colonial settlers. Hunting was driven as much by profit as by the larger political goal of subjugating indigenous communities. “For the people crossing the bridge, I wanted them to experience a palpable tension through the anxious look from one to the other,” Lum said. “I don’t really see how a photo based on an infamous photo, taken at the height of the buffalo slaughter, could be interpreted as an affirmation of colonialism. Neither the city nor the Arts Council have explained this to me. That would be nice and kind of them. I’m all ears,” Lum said. A city spokesman said a better understanding of “historical injustices to indigenous peoples” contributed to the decision, which came as Canada continues to grapple with the dark legacy of colonialism. Lum, who is a member of the Monument Lab, a US-based nonprofit that studies how to tell history in the public landscape, said he met with Native elders throughout the process and consulted with communities. But Lewis Cardinal, a member of the Wicihitowin Talking Circle that advised the city of Edmonton and the Edmonton Arts Council, said the bison was not an appropriate symbol of the area’s past. Cardinal said beaver pelts – not bison – were the main driver of the region’s economy. “If you’re going to consult with indigenous people, you have to really listen,” he told CTV News. The city’s position has sparked a larger conversation about public art, history and meaning. While Edmonton has pulled the plug on Lam’s project, a statue of Winston Churchill is to be erected in the city of Calgary. “Anything placed in a public space will have a range of responses, based on literacy and many other factors,” Lum said. “But I think art should be challenging. And that challenge includes requiring the audience to really invest in trying to interpret the play and invest in trying to read the play. “Its a shame [the city] chose to frame it in a certain way, because I think the dialogue that would have resulted from my work would have been very useful and productive for everyone.”