Sculptors' Society of BC

The Sculptors' Society of B.C. Press Release October 2005

The Sculptors' Society of British Columbia is pleased to announce that restoration and cleaning is currently underway to many of the monumental stone sculpture pieces located in the Van Dusen Botanical Gardens. This is being done under the direction of one of the society's members and our provinces most competent sculptors, Alexander Schick.

The Society anticipates that the work will be completed prior to the garden's annual event of the Festival of Lights which begins in early December.

For those of you not familiar with these sculptures in VanDusen Botanical Gardens, a brief history:

The Vancouver International Stone Sculpture Symposium took place in 1975, it was the first of its kind in Western Canada and resulted in 10 monumental sculptures carved and placed just in time for the opening of the VanDusen Botanical  Gardens at West 37th Avenue and Oak Street.

The Vancouver International Stone Sculpture Symposium in 1975 came about as a result of a tremendous amount of energy, vision, trust and financial support by the community.

By this we mean the Vancouver Parks Board, the VanDusen Botanical Gardens, the City of Vancouver, the Provincial Government, the Federal Government and numerous enthusiastic supporters in Vancouver. The students and staff of the Vancouver School of Art (now Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design)

Eleven sculptors were chosen with a mix of both local and international scope to create a piece of monumental work that would be showcased at the Van Dusen Botanical Gardens using Persian Travertine and Marble, the Artists had just two months to complete this work. They were assisted by sculpture students many of whom learned their carving skills that summer.

The Sculptors' Society of B.C.'s members were there at the opening and the subsequent gallery events in 1975 and today its members continue to work hard to ensure the legacy of sculptors and their work.

We encourage you to take some time out to visit the gardens and enjoy the sculptures rain or shine and appreciate these pieces in our most beautiful city.

For more information regarding the society and its members both past and present, please contact: Sculptors' Society of British Columbia, 102-960 W. 6^th Avenue, Vancouver, B.C. V5Z 4J3 (604) 732-9335 or www.ssbc.ca.