2006 News and Information
Musqueam Art Project Planned for Richmond Oval
July 17, 2006Internationally acclaimed Musqueam artist Susan Point will design a signature public artwork for the exterior of the Richmond Oval, home of speed skating for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games.
Point will design the artwork to be inlaid into channels in the 15 large concrete buttresses on the north side of the building facing a large festival plaza.
The buttresses are massive structural elements, and incorporate a storm water runnel capturing the run-off from the roof. The buttresses can be viewed as a contemporary interpretation of housepost forms, an important element in Coast Salish culture.
Musqueam motifs in relief will be integrated in the storm water runnels to build upon this connection. The artwork will include consistent themes – water, the heron and the salmon. All will hold significant place in aboriginal traditions as well as in contemporary Richmond culture.
The artwork will form a series of positive and negative elements, which in their carved three dimensional form will animate the water as it runs down the face of the runnel and provide interesting and lively patterns when no water is present. The designs will alternate over the 15 buttress runnels.
The runnels are approximately 18 feet in height and 24 to 30 inches wide, meaning the artwork will provide a dramatic artistic statement, while also providing humanizing relief to the large concrete buttresses.
“This artwork is a tribute to the Fraser River, on whose shores my people have lived and prospered for countless generations,” writes Point. “It is also a tribute to all rivers that shape the destiny of those who live by their cycle and spiritual encounters. The river alters its shapes and course over time, yet it remains at the heart of the changing communities around it.”
Point is a member of the Order of Canada and winner of numerous awards including a National Aboriginal Achievement Award. Her works have been exhibited internationally and she has completed numerous public art commissions in Canada and the US, including major works in Stanley Park, at Vancouver International Airport, the UBC Museum of Anthropology and the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, DC.
The use of First Nations art in the Richmond Oval acknowledges the site’s historical and cultural significance and continuing importance to the Musqueam people and is part of the City of Richmond's ongoing commitment to recognize those interests in the development of the site.
Total budget for the project is $125,000, including artist's design and other fees, carving of the master mold and other production costs. This amount is part of the recently approved Oval Precinct Art budget from the 2005 appropriated surplus.
