Touchstone

Sometimes in working on site-specific public sculpture proposals the “inspiration” comes as much from desperation as anything else. There was no such thing with Canmore, there is so much to work with there: an interesting, active community, spectacular geography, vivid characters, stunning scenery, amazing wildlife—truly an abundance of riches.

The idea of asking the community to take part in creating its own narrative was the germ of the project. By providing me with objects and artifacts that had a part in defining Canmore for them personally, people gave me the source material for the bronze relief that is at the core of this sculpture. I wanted to encourage community involvement and did we ever get it. It’s been a terrific experience to spend time here, meet people and work with the very generous and dedicated folks who made this project possible.