A Red River cart and steel sunflowers are two art projects that could soon be installed in Moose Jaw to honour the respective Metis and Ukrainian cultures and beautify the community.
City council accepted the installation of the two projects during its Nov. 14 regular meeting.
Council approved the Red River cart proposal from the New Southern Plains Metis Local No. 160 (NSPLM) to install the two-wheeled vehicle at the Tourism Moose Jaw site, with the parks and recreation department to determine the exact location in consultation with the tourist organization.
Further, the public art committee and the Metis organization will have more consultations about the wording and design of the proposed plaques before they are produced and installed.
The committee agreed during its recent meeting that it was beneficial to have a new plaque accompany the original Fort Walsh to Fort Qu’Appelle Trail plaque beside the cart. The new plaque would reference the old one as a “historic artifact” and provide more context for it.
Also, NSPLM will be responsible for funding the material and installation costs, while city administration will draft an installation and maintenance agreement and have the mayor and city clerk sign it.
NSPLM expects the project to cost $15,250.
Meanwhile, council approved the Downtown Moose Jaw Association’s request to install a Ukrainian-themed steel sunflowers sculpture. Further, the association will cover all material and installation costs, while the mayor and city clerk will sign the agreement.
The sculpture — created by artist Bill Keen, who also created the recent bison sculpture — will be about seven feet high and have sunflowers that are roughly 30 inches in diameter. The artwork’s base will measure five feet long by 30 inches wide by 24 inches high and be made of heavy gauge steel.
The city will install the base on a concrete block so the entire sculpture is secured to the slab; Keen will supervise the installation with assistance from a concrete contractor. He will also apply weather-resistant paint to the sculpture before it’s installed and will touch up the artwork as required.
The city will install the Ukrainian-themed artwork in Crescent Park at the Langdon Crescent entrance.
The next regular council meeting is Monday, Nov. 27.
