{"id":54470,"date":"2024-10-31T11:10:21","date_gmt":"2024-10-31T15:10:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.artoronto.ca\/?p=54470"},"modified":"2024-11-21T17:03:56","modified_gmt":"2024-11-21T22:03:56","slug":"campfire-ribbon-cutting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/v2.artoronto.ca\/?p=54470","title":{"rendered":"Campfire \/ Ribbon Cutting"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Last Saturday (October 26th), on a crisp fall morning, the City of Toronto welcomed a new piece to its growing collection of public art. At the edge of Humber Bay, amidst the cool coastal breeze, it was the perfect day to gather around a campfire.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n

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Humber Bay on Saturday, October 26th<\/sup>, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Campfire<\/em> is a new landmark sculpture by Michael Belmore and Herman Mejia. This collaboration between Belmore (an Anishinaabe artist) and Mejia (who was trained in landscape architecture) exemplifies the capacity of art to transform the built environment. As Campfire<\/em> frames the city skyline within its silhouette, the liminal threshold between land and water becomes a place to linger and feel part of something bigger. Echoing a practice that many Indigenous communities have used for decades, the campfire at the water\u2019s edge serves as a means of navigation and place-keeping, honoring the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation\u2019s ties to the land. \u201cWe found the right piece for the right place,\u201d declares Belmore.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Michael Belmore and Herman Mejia, Campfire, stainless steel, 12 foot tall<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Featuring animal drawings from children from the Jean Augustine Centre in its perforations, as well as a Story Rock handcrafted by Michael Belmore, Campfire<\/em> is a space for storytelling – a theme that often stimulates Belmore\u2019s work. This piece, he hopes, commemorates an \u201copportunity to be able to stay and sit in that place;\u201d in those moments \u201cwhere we sit around the campfire and tell stories and get lost in [them].\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

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Close-up of perforations on Campfire<\/p>\n\n\n

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Story Rock<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A symbolic hearth truly kindled by the warmth of community, Campfire <\/em>brought together Indigenous leaders, city council members, artists, and community members alike for its unveiling.<\/p>\n\n\n

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(L-R) Jeff Debosh, Garry Sault, Michael Belmore, Herman Mejia, Claire Sault, and Deputy Mayor Amber Morley at the Campfire Ribbon-cutting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Garry Sault, Ojibwe elder and knowledge-holder from the Mississaugas of the Credit, opened the ceremony with a steadfast song and drumbeat. \u201cThe doorway is open and the fire is lit,\u201d he calls out, \u201cthe doorway is open, the doorway to understanding.\u201d  <\/p>\n\n\n

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Ojibwe Elder Garry Sault<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fire, according to MCFN chief Claure Sault, is a sacred element; \u201ca doorway that opens into the spiritual realm.\u201d In many Indigenous cultures, Sacred Fire is used for spiritual gatherings, including celebration and prayer. Steel-clad and twelve-feet-tall, this fire – Campfire<\/em> – is permanent. Not just a large monument, but a lasting place to gather. Fire-keeper Jeff Debosh, who has sometimes had to keep fire for three days, remarks that he is amazed to see the permanency of this art statement.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Firekeeper Jeff Debosh of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Campfire<\/em> exhibits the enduring mark of Indigenous voices. Now a permanent fixture on the lakeshore, it also signals the ability of public art to alchemize and immortalize these stories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Athen Go<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Images are courtesy of Red Works Photography.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Event information: CAMPFIRE, a new permanent public artwork by Michael Belmore and Herman Mejia, is an Indigenous-led project that stands as a new landmark and gathering place on the waterfront. Palace Pier (near 1 Palace Pier Court, Etobicoke ON), Saturday, October 26, 2024, Ribbon Cutting: 11 am.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Athen Go<\/strong><\/p>\n

Campfire exhibits the enduring mark of Indigenous voices. Now a permanent fixture on the lakeshore, it also signals the ability of public art to alchemize and immortalize these stories.<\/p>\n

Read more →<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":54468,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[267,41,4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-54470","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-athen-go","category-events","category-features"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/v2.artoronto.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54470","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/v2.artoronto.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/v2.artoronto.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/v2.artoronto.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/v2.artoronto.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=54470"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/v2.artoronto.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54470\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":54475,"href":"https:\/\/v2.artoronto.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54470\/revisions\/54475"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/v2.artoronto.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/54468"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/v2.artoronto.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=54470"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/v2.artoronto.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=54470"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/v2.artoronto.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=54470"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}