Don and Shirley Begg's latest creation is causing quite a stir of appreciation in Airdrie.
Fresh on the heels of National Indigenous Peoples Day on June 21, the City of Airdrie unveiled a new public monument on July 7 that depicts an Indigenous grandmother teaching her young family members the ways of their culture. The bronze statue composition is now on display in Airdrie's Nose Creek Regional Park.
The statues were created by award-winning sculptors Shirley and Don Begg, who run the Studio West Bronze Foundry and Art Gallery in Cochrane. The bronze pieces were unveiled to much enthusiasm and fanfare last week, and a City of Airdrie Facebook post about the new public art quickly garnered over 1,200 shares on social media.
The composition is called "Stoney Grandmother’s Teachings" and depicts a Îethka or Stoney Nakoda grandmother educating her grandchildren on the proper use of willow branches. According to the City of Airdrie, the scene is intended to be set in 1909 – the year Airdrie was incorporated as a municipality.
The monument shows the grandmother sharing her traditional knowledge of local vegetation with her three grandchildren.
"This artwork was created to honour those Peoples who have been in relationship with this land since time immemorial and continue to live in the City of Airdrie, in the surrounding rural districts and in First Nations communities throughout the Treaty 7 Region of Alberta, as well as the Métis Nation of Alberta Region 3," the City stated on its Facebook page announcing the new monument.
Shirley Begg said the process of putting together the sculptures took roughly two years. She said she and Don have sculpted a number of Indigenous-themed pieces over the years and they were highly excited to partake in this particular project, considering Don's own long-lasting connection to the Stoney Nakoda.
“This one being so close to home was special for us,” Begg said. “Don grew up west of Cochrane and the Stoney Nakoda people have been his friends since he was a little kid. So it was really nice to participate in the recognition of the Indigenous people in Nose Creek Park. To have such a meaningful statue close to home is just wonderful.”
The commissioning of the artwork – at a value of over $300,000 – was donated to the City of Airdrie anonymously by a local family.
The subject matter of the composition came after months of consultation between the City of Airdrie, the Airdrie-based Circle Connections for Reconciliation Society, and local Indigenous Elders and knowledge-keepers.
Begg said the statues showcase the age-old, multi-cultural importance of passing on knowledge between different generations of family members. In the composition, the grandmother is holding a bunch of willow branches and teaching her grandchildren how to gather them and what they're used for.
“Her granddaughter is approaching her and has one branch,” she explained. “They’re looking at one another and you can see the granddaughter is paying attention to her grandmother. The boy has gathered a lot of willow sticks. His don’t have leaves. They used sticks for all sorts of things – tent pegs, for fire, and for ceremonial [reasons].
“The third child, the very youngest, is not interested. He’s so young, he just wants to play and he’s found a salamander. He’s picked up the salamander and it’s resting in his hands. He’s gazing at the salamander, not paying attention to the lessons, as sometimes the youngest might be off doing his own thing.”
As an example of how consultation formed the basis of the composition, Begg said a late addition to the monument was the dog, which is a symbol of protection in Stoney Nakoda culture.
“During our consultations with the Elders, they said the grandmother would have a dog with her,” she explained. “So there’s a dog accompanying the grandmother. That’s how the composition came together. When [the Elders] saw the original drawing, it did not have a dog and they said the grandmother wouldn’t go out without a dog”
While she hasn't seen the sculptures in person since they were installed, Begg said she's eager to travel to Airdrie to check out "Stoney Grandmother’s Teachings" in the near future.
According to the City of Airdrie, a dedication ceremony for the sculptures will be held on Sept. 30, which is recognized across Canada as the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
