A longtime Oak Bay resident in his mid-90s reflected on a lifetime of travel as he walked along the waterfront at. He thought of times he had been delighted by a thoughtful sculpture in a public place B次元官网网址� nothing grand or political, just something whimsical to bring a smile to the face of a passerby. As he walked, he noticed a small rock a few metres from the shore B次元官网网址� a perfect site for a bit of art. He imagined making a gift to the community for this public space, entirely paid for by him.
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Of course, a public gift requires a public process. Fortunately Oak Bay has a robust Public Art Advisory Committee. You may have noticed other public art installations appearing in Oak Bay in the last few years. The PAAC was asked by the prospective donor to help choose the work of art, and to seek approvals, under the guidelines of Oak BayB次元官网网址檚 Public Art Policy.
The donorB次元官网网址檚 plan is for a small bronze sculpture sitting on one end of the rock, a rock which is almost submerged at high tide. The rock is under provincial jurisdiction and so a licence to occupy is being sought from the provincial government.
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The Oak Bay Council endorsed the location for the sculpture on the rock at a meeting last June, and both our MP Murray Rankin and MLA Andrew Weaver are supportive of the project. Subsequent to the first public meeting on the subject, letters to the editor and discussions in social media appeared.
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When the results are in, it is then up to Oak Bay Council to decide what to do with this proposed gift.
Submissions from 32 sculptors were received and, after a rigorous selection process, the donor chose a design by Fred Dobbs, a well-known local artist. In 2017 Dobbs won the PeopleB次元官网网址檚 Choice Award in the municipalityB次元官网网址檚 Arts Alive sculpture competition for his bronze, Lunar Transitions, which is now on permanent display in front of the Oak Bay Public Library. The maquette for his new sculpture, proposed for this foreshore site, is on view at the municipal hall.
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ItB次元官网网址檚 easy to get distracted by the specifics of the art, or to imagine that our precious natural environment is going to be despoiled. Without a clear understanding of what is going on, some people react as if this gift is being forced upon them. LetB次元官网网址檚 not forget whatB次元官网网址檚 behind the proposal now being considered: one of our citizens wants to commission and contribute a sculpture B次元官网网址� B次元官网网址渢o bring a smile to the face of a passersby.B次元官网网址�
As a community, weB次元官网网址檙e going through the process, to decide whether we will accept this gift. LetB次元官网网址檚 give the donor and his donation the respect they deserve. Your informed opinion is encouraged.
Robert Amos
Oak Bay
