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Potential statue slated for Oak Bay beach draws early criticism

A $50k donation from a 96 year old resident said to fund the project
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A view of the bay between Queens’ Park and Haynes Park, looking towards Willows Beach, January 22, 2019. (Jesse Laufer / News Staff).

Oak Bay’s coast might soon have a new view.

According to a report from Oak Bay’s Art Laureate Barbara Adams tabled at a Parks, Recreation and Culture meeting on Jan. 2, 2019, a donor has offered $50,000 to put a new sculpture on the shoreline.

Out of 32 submissions, a jury selected “Octeavina” by Fred Dobbs and Lisa McCulloch.

The Oak Bay Public Art Advisory Committee would need to permission from the province to go ahead with the installation, as they hope to instal the work on a rock in the bay as opposed to along the shoreline.

READ MORE: Salmon Cycle is Oak Bay ArtsAlive’s winning sculpture

While not yet approved, the location of a potential new artwork in Oak Bay already faces criticism.

“While much of the art that permeates Oak Bay parks and walkways has been welcomed, decorating the natural shoreline and inter-tidal zone is unacceptable,” resident Angus Matthews wrote to the Oak Bay News. “I like our rocks as nature presents them. So do the herons, seabirds and seals that frequent them. The inter-tidal zone is an essential ecosystem within this federally designated migratory bird sanctuary. The ever-changing tableau of tides, waves and marine life that we all cherish needs no embellishment.”



jesse.laufer@oakbaynews.com

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