ART IN THE PARK

Lesya Ukrainka Statue-Colborne Lodge Drive

 Commissioned by Women's Council of the Ukrainian Canadian Committee. Sculptured by Mykhailo Chereshniovsky in bronze and black granite in 1975. Lesya Ukrainka was one of Ukraine's best-known poets and writers and the foremost woman writer in Ukrainian literature.
Each summer since 1975, Ukrainians in Toronto gather at the Lesya Ukrainka monument in High Park to celebrate her life and work.

In 1967, Canada’s Centennial Year it was decided to hold an International Sculpture Symposium in Toronto with High Park as the venue. Interest was solicited from around the world and ultimately 12 international artists were selected including four from Canada. The artists all came to Toronto and worked on site, using the former Forest School, now Nature Centre, to store their tools and gear.

Ten sculptures were completed. Three of them went to the National Gallery in Ottawa, the McMichael Canadiana Collection in Kleinberg- Paul Saila-Polar Bear) and the Art Gallery of Ontario.

Find in the Park:

“Three Discs” by Menashe Kadishman, an Israeli. This sculpture is sited south of the second di Suvero sculpture. It consists of three cantilevered, contiguous metal discs painted yellow.

“November Pyramid” by Bernard Schottlander, a German artist, living in England at the time. Made of painted steel plates – great for children to climb on. 

“Mid-summer Night’s Dream” is the work of Wessel Couzijn, a Dutch sculptor. It is located on the hill near the Forest School.

“Temple” by Hubert Dalwood, a British artist, is located north of the Forest School. This is a collection of stainless-steel pipes fixed to a base and it remains in good condition.

“The Hippy” by William Koochin, a Canadian sculptor, is located at the west end of the Forest School. This sculpture is carved from a piece of granite and, again, has a title appropriate to the sixties.

And the unfinished sculpture, located at the corner of Spring Road and Colborne Lodge Drive. This project was begun by a Toronto artist, Irving Burman, who had two blocks of granite delivered to the sculpture site. Unfortunately, Mr. Burman suffered a breakdown and neither he nor anyone else had any idea of what he had intended to create! 

“No shoes” by Mark di Suvero, an American artist.: This sculpture was removed from High Park in 2010 and has been restored and installed at Corktown Common.]*

“Flower Power”, also by di Suvero was removed from High Park in 2010 has been restored and now overlooks railway tracks from the CityPlace condo complex. 

Also: The Rotary Fountain, The Portuguese Monument and The Howards Tomb

Have a wonderful day, be there for those that cannot be there!