Bison sculptures doing double duty for Manitoba children and youth affected by abuse

Winnipeg Free Press

4 days ago

A stampede of bison is thundering down Roblin Boulevard.
A herd of 26 bison sculptures weighing 10,000 pounds apiece and painted by local artists made their debut yesterday as Bison on the Boulevard, a public art installation raising awareness and funds for children and youth affected by abuse in Manitoba.
'What began as an idea to raise critical funds and reinforce a message of resilience has really evolved into a powerful movement and message to kids and families in our community,' Christy Dzikowicz, CEO of Toba Centre for Children and Youth, said at Wednesday's public unveiling event outside Assiniboine Park Zoo.
MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS
Sculptures are delivered for placement at the Bison on the Boulevard installation on Roblin Boulevard, Wednesday.
MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS
Sculptures are delivered for placement at the Bison on the Boulevard installation on Roblin Boulevard, Wednesday.
'To the children and families in our community impacted by abuse: thank you for trusting us in your time of need. This herd represents your bravery as you charge through the storm.'
Several politicians and community advocates also spoke, including Elder Billie Schibler, who highlighted the bison's significance in Indigenous culture while live bisons were visible grazing in the zoo enclosure behind her.
MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS
Reiss DeBraga (left) and Chris Pilloud with Able Crane Services placing one of the pieces at the installation site.
MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS
Reiss DeBraga (left) and Chris Pilloud with Able Crane Services placing one of the pieces at the installation site.
The 21/2-metre-long by 11/2-metre-tall concrete bisons are stationed along Roblin from Shaftesbury Boulevard to Assiniboine Park Drive. Each sculpture was sponsored by a donor to help fund its creation and support the Toba Centre. The bisons will be displayed until October, when they'll migrate to donors as lasting symbols of their support.
Self-described as the province's 'first and only child advocacy centre,' Toba Centre brings together professionals in health care, child protection, police mental health and other support services to provide trauma-informed care for youth affected by abuse. It worked with Graffiti Art Programming on Bison on the Boulevard's creative side.
'It's our hope that a 14-year-old who's out there somewhere and may see some of (these works) will learn that Toba Centre is a good safe space for them to tell their story. It's our hope that when you visit this installation that you understand that you are, in a very real way, bearing witness to the stories of these children,' said Stephen Wilson, Graffiti Art's executive director.
MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS
The Bison on the Boulevard installation features 26 bison sculptures painted by local artists and stationed along a stretch of Roblin Boulevard and is meant to raise awareness and funds for children affected by abuse.
MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS
The Bison on the Boulevard installation features 26 bison sculptures painted by local artists and stationed along a stretch of Roblin Boulevard and is meant to raise awareness and funds for children affected by abuse.
The organization offers free art, dance and music classes to over 3,000 children annually, mostly in Winnipeg's inner city. Graffiti Art created two of the bison sculptures in collaboration with its youth participants and helped select many of the other artists who painted sculptures for Bisons on the Boulevard.
MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS
Toba Centre CEO Christy Dzikowicz (left) and artist Kerri Parnell take a look at Parnell's piece.
MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS
Toba Centre CEO Christy Dzikowicz (left) and artist Kerri Parnell take a look at Parnell's piece.
One of the participating artists is Kerri Parnell. Her piece, Together, shows a single wilted flower, rising from a base of wheat and surrounded by a glowing bouquet gradually regaining colour.
'It's a collaboration with my 14-year-old daughter, Graye, and her first public art piece. When she heard that one in three youth are affected by child abuse, she got really upset but also motivated,' says Parnell.
The scene represents regaining strength through the support and compassion of others, she says.
'Even though she's not affected by abuse, it's her generation moving forward that are the ones that can make a difference,' Parnell says.
'And I think the sooner we realize that, the more compassion for people they'll have for people they come across in the schoolyard, and the better they can help eventually as adults.'
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Conrad SweatmanReporter
Conrad Sweatman is an arts reporter and feature writer. Before joining the Free Press full-time in 2024, he worked in the U.K. and Canadian cultural sectors, freelanced for outlets including The Walrus, VICE and Prairie Fire. Read more about Conrad.
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