Designs submitted by artists Nadina Tandy and Sheila Williams, both Gibsons-area residents, have been selected by the Orcas in the City project. Both women said they are excited to be participating in this high-profile showcase of work by outstanding B.C. artists.
Those familiar with Calgary's annual Cows in the City and Saskatoon's Pigs in the City will recognize the inspiration behind the B.C. Lions Society for Children with Disabilities project to commission artists to create a whale of an event in Vancouver and Victoria. Artists from around B.C. submitted designs, which could eventually be applied to a custom-formed eight-foot-tall fibreglass orca. Concepts chosen by the society's adjudicators are then partnered with a sponsoring community group, individual or business. The artist then transfers the design from drawing board to orca canvas. The completed work is treated with a graffiti-repellent coating and installed in a high-profile public space in Vancouver or Victoria.
Williams' orca, sponsored by KPMG Accounting, is slated for installation in front of the Pan Pacific Hotel upon completion. Covered in complex hand-built and richly coloured custom mosaic tiles, the completed work is Williams own salute to the late Bjossa. "She was our last whale at the Vancouver Aquarium, and her life touched so many. I call it Orca in the Sky," said Williams, in recognition of Bjossa's transport by air from the aquarium to Sea World.
Williams plans to drop the tarp on Orca in the Sky at her Shegon Mosaic Works studio on Sergeant Street in Gibsons on Wednesday, April 17, at 5 p.m. The unveiling will be part of an unofficial and informal wake for the late Bjossa. Tandy developed her concept from a mural she created for the Gibsons Landing Jazz Festival (posted on her website at http://nadina_tandy.tripod.com) and was inspired by the amazing young musical talent leaping forth on the Coast. The colours and design were planned to appeal to young people in particular.
The sponsor's $3,700 fee covers cost of materials, delivery and installation; many feel it is an advertising bargain. The B.C. Lions Society will auction the sculptures for Children with Disabilities at a black-tie gala ball in November.
The orca exhibit will be on display throughout Vancouver and Victoria from May through October.
For more information and/or to become a sponsor, contact either Stephen Miller or Clare Charnley at 1-604-873-1865 or visit the website at www.orcasinthecity.com.
