Thank you everyone who submitted their designs to the PLRAC for the Public Art Sculpture. After months of consideration and deliberation, we are pleased to announce the four successful artists, below:

1. Kristen Auger was born and raised in Fort St. John, British Columbia. She is a member of the Bigstone Cree Nation located in Northern Alberta, which is part of the Treaty 8 territory. She has a Bachelor of Arts (Indian Art) from First Nations University in Regina, Saskatchewan. In 2017, Kristen was one of 150 Indigenous Canadian artists honored with the Hnyatyshyn Foundation REVEAL Indigenous Art Award to “fuel the creation of new artistic works and leave a lasting cultural legacy.”

Kristen’s design, which represents her experience growing up in the Peace Region as it relates to the history of the Alaska Highway, was selected for inclusion on the public art sculpture.

2. David Jacob Harder is an interdisciplinary visual artist/curator born in Quesnel, British Columbia. He earned a BFA in Visual Arts, as well as a BA in Social History, from Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops, BC. David has shown in numerous public exhibitions across Western Canada and the United States.

The design and creation of the trencher’s bucket is David’s contribution to the public art sculpture.

3. Helen Knott is a Dane-zaa artist and advocate from the Prophet River First Nations living in Fort St. John, BC. Currently completing a Masters in First Nations Studies at UNBC, Helen was recently named one of 16 Nobel laureate-honoured world activists and one of 150 Indigenous Canadian artists to receive the Hnyatyshyn Foundation REVEAL Indigenous Art Award to “fuel the creation of new artistic works and leave a lasting cultural legacy.”

Words from Helen’s poem, “Dear Prime Minister: this poet has something to say to you about Indigenous rights,” is Helen’s contribution to the public art sculpture.

4. Barbara Swail is a photographer and multi-media artist who, for 20 years, has used her art to document the changes and activity in and on the landscape of the Peace River Region of northeastern British Columbia. Barbara has studied art at Capilano University and the Emily Carr College of Art and Design.

The design idea of using animal footprints on the trencher track component of the sculpture is Barbara’s contribution to the public art sculpture.

 

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