A new art piece will soon be in place on the Bear Creek walking trails. The bear totem-style carving, carved by chainsaw by local artist Angie Olson, will be installed at the entrance of the trails in the community of Swanavon.
Swanavon Community Association President Jasmine Grosz says the idea for the art came out of a desire from wanting to add a little extra on the walking trails in the neighbourhood. She says the COVID-19 pandemic made the space a daily part of residents’ routines as they tried to continue to safely get exercise.
“The one thing we could still do was go walking, so we’ve been doing a lot of that over the last year or so.” “I thought it would just be neat to see more pieces as you walk through to have some more interesting things to look at on the trail,” she adds.
She says the artist has gone one further than just creating a great piece, as when she realized it was going to a non-profit, it was donated free of charge. Grosz says it was an incredible act, and they were hoping to pay her back in their own way.
“We decided to get a plaque for her so we could pay homage to her on the trails,” she adds.
Grosz says she hopes the piece will lead to a bigger push across the municipality for similar installations. She adds she is hopeful to even see something like a yearly competition to take place to add a bit of a friendly competition between neighbourhoods.
“[The winner] gets to have their piece of art installed throughout the city on the walking trails, every year we get a new totem, and it kind of just spurs it on forward,” she says.
“That’s what I’ve been talking to some members of the city council about and we are hoping to organize that in the coming seasons.”
It’s expected the statue will be installed by the end of the month.