A 10-foot, 10-inch Coast Salish welcome figure will greet students, staff and visitors to Burnaby Central Secondary for years to come.
Under the watchful eye of Musqueam carver Brent Sparrow, about 15 students recently put the finishing touches on the red-cedar carving, and the figure will be unveiled today (May 2) at 2 p.m..
“It’s not a totem pole; it’s a house post,” Sparrow told the NOW. “You see, the notch on top is used to hold the beams in the house. It held the houses up.
The hands of the female figure, installed at the school's front entrance, are held up in a gesture that has several meanings, according to the carver, including recognition, respect and welcome.
A female figure seemed appropriate for a school, Sparrow said.
“In our culture, the women were the caregivers, right? So I thought maybe a woman would be good to welcome the kids in, as they were the caregivers and looked after the young and passed most of the teachings on,” he said.
Sparrow got the log from a little mill in Sooke on Vancouver Island, he said, and roughed in the figure at his own shop with a chainsaw before bringing it to the school.
For about two months, students in teacher Anto Steko’s art class have joined a handful of interested aboriginal students from around the school to work on the figure.
The response from students has been mixed, according to Steko.
“Working with knives has been a huge challenge,” he said. “It’s very difficult to carve on hard wood. And just the technique was difficult for some of them to master.”
For those that stuck with it, however, the rewards will be long lasting.
“This is going to be up here for a long time, and they put their hand in this and it’s memorable,” Steko said.
Funding for the project came from an ArtStarts grant secured by art department head Michael Shumiatcher.
Landing Sparrow, an artist with a rising reputation, to do the project was a coup, according to Burnaby Central aboriginal youth and family worker Corrina Chase, who recommended him.
“We got this grant, but in, like, 10 years we’d never be able to afford him, not even close,” Chase said with a laugh.
Sparrow’s roots as a carver go deep. His mother, renowned First Nations artist Susan Point, is currently being featured in a solo exhibition at the Vancouver Art Gallery, and Sparrow had his hand in a number of the pieces on display.
This is the first time he has worked with students at a school, but it likely won’t be the last.
“I believe it’s for the truth and reconciliation,” Sparrow said. “If you look, there are all different cultures here. It’s nice to see them doing the work.”
The figure is being unveiled as part of the school’s truth and reconciliation day.
