A new community art piece will showcase prominent figures from High River’s history.
During the Aug. 11 regular meeting, Town Council awarded $5,000 to fund one tree carving art piece in George Lane Memorial Park.
The allotted funding includes the cost of materials and the artist fee.
“The tree is located in one of the group sites in George Lane Park, and the plan is to carve multiple faces of prominent figures of High River’s history,” said Jocelyn Dunsmore, Community Development Liaison Officer.
Lee Peckham, High River Tree Art Committee, has been working with the Highwood Museum, Jared Tail Feathers, and Angela Burdick to come up with the faces to carve in the tree.
Peckham explained that the scope of the project has changed, as Burdick is now creating a series of historical documentaries about the town.
The first documentary is from the perspective of the Blackfoot people.
The carvings will correspond with the documentary.
Some of the proposed carvings included Chief Crowfoot, James F. MacLeod, Running Eagle, Jeremiah Potts, Chief Heavy Runner, Chief Bullhead, Three Bulls, and Many Spotted Horses.
High River Mayor Craig Snodgrass expressed the importance of ensuring the individuals who are carved into the tree have a direct connection to the town’s history.
“We all know how sensitive this is to memorialize and put individuals on pedestals, and what can happen when you do that. It's a sensitive piece,” he said. “The other piece is respecting the First Nations in our area.”
Going forward, Peckham is revising a list of historical individuals who are relevant to High River and the role they had in creating the community.
The piece will be carved by artist Darren Jones from Central Alberta.
The project is expected to begin in September and take about a week to complete.