The heartbreak of a Bracebridge family is set to be transmuted in steel at the hands of one of Muskoka’s most acclaimed artists.
During their last meeting, Bracebridge General Committee voted to allow staff to execute an agreement between the Hammond family and artist Hilary Clark Cole to accession a sculpture for installation beside the plaque at the Black Bridge on Matthiasville Road.
The proposed sculpture, which will be donated by the Hammond family, is in the shape of a tree and is in memory of Miles Hammond who passed away after a battle with cancer just after his first birthday. Councillors heard that the Black Bridge is the proposed location for the installation because it will provide a quiet space for reflection and remembering for the Hammond family close to their home, and a reminder of how precious life is to all who visit and read about the meaning behind the sculpture.
“(Miles) was a joy and light in this world, and his spirit and grit were an inspiration to all those who knew him,” reads the donation proposal. “Miles’ parents and paternal grandparents live on Matthiasville Road and would often walk with Miles in the stroller to visit the Black Bridge.”
The welded steel sculpture is valued at some $10,000 and is meant to survive outside.
Hilary Clark Cole is a Canadian sculptor, working mainly in hand-built welded steel artwork, and also in cast limited edition bronzes. Over the years of her professional art career she has produced a large body of one-of-a-kind metal sculptures both in private collections and in public installations, including an outdoor corten steel sculpture of Grizzly Bears, Mother and Cubs; The Chestnut Filly; the Windswept Silhouette; and The Muskox.
Installation is expected in the fall of 2022.
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