MOOSE JAW – Royal Canadian Air Force aircraft, sacred First Nations teachings and birds associated with Moose Jaw are three motifs artists are planning to carve or paint into dead trees in Crescent Park.

City Hall and the Crescent Park Foundation – with support from the Moose Jaw Museum and Art Gallery – recently announced that Karen Watson, Sadi Rose Vaxvick and Carly Jaye Smith have been selected for this year’s Crescent Park Tree Art Project.

This initiative, which began in 2016, aims to give artists the opportunity to create art from recycled tree stumps. This year, 11 trees in Crescent Park were sawn down into workable stumps.

During its regular meeting on August 12, the City Council unanimously approved the Foundation’s request for a Tree Art Project 2024 to install the three artworks in the park. In addition, the Council agreed that the Foundation would cover all costs for the artwork, the City Council would prepare an installation and maintenance contract, and the Mayor and City Clerk would sign the contract.

The overall request came from the Public Art Committee, which recommended that the Council accept the project.

RCAF100^th Birthday

Watson, who has previously participated in the tree project, plans to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF).^th birthday with their project, according to a council report. The project committee selected their project because it was a tribute to the 431 (Snowbirds) Air Demonstration Squadron, which is well known to Moose Javians.

“In her vision, Karen will capture two snowbirds in a spiral formation with human silhouettes underneath and a snowbird logo carved into the trunk,” the document states.

Watson, a resident of Moose Jaw, is a self-taught artist with a passion for sculpting realistic forms in wood and clay. She made her first carving in 2017 while working with her father, and her passion grew from there.

In recent years, she has carved several projects on residential properties, including a soldier, an eagle, a horse’s head, and a peacock. Her first carving in Crescent Park was in 2021, titled “The Story of the Band Festival.”

Sacred animals

Vaxvick presented the committee with two proposals that would convey “the spirit of Moose Jaw’s diverse past, present and future” while also marking the 150th anniversary of the city.^th anniversary of the signing of the fourth treaty, the report said.

The committee selected Vaxvick’s initiative, “Seven Sacred Teachings of the Grandfather,” which represents a connection to her Aboriginal heritage as she is Nehiyaw and Saulteaux and is registered on the Ochapowace reserve.

Grandfather’s seven sacred teachings include love, respect, courage, honesty, wisdom, humility and truth. Animals representing each of these qualities are carved into the tree: eagle, bison, bear, raven, beaver, wolf and turtle.

“(Vaxvick) chose to wrap a continuous, long, braided marigold around the tree to distinguish the animals that have a connection to the land,” the report said. “The marigold has three strands representing mind, body and spirit.”

To complete the work of art, the artist also plans to use colored stains that will highlight the natural grain of the wood and provide long-term protection.

Birds of the Park

Smith, a self-taught artist from Moose Jaw, has created most of her work downtown and contributed to the area’s traveling art project, the report said. She has painted works on benches, trash cans, stained glass windows and clothing, and created murals that adorn buildings such as the Palliser Regional Library and the Chamber of Commerce.

Smith’s work is colorful and she will paint her tree in a pop art style that will be a great addition to the park, the document added. She submitted two proposals and the committee chose one that focused on the different bird species in Crescent Park.

The artists have already started carving their projects and should be finished by September, the report added.

The next regular council meeting will be on Monday, August 26.