The Sculpture Project
2021
Rain Garden, Fenelon Falls

The FAC has added two public artworks in the Rain Garden; Portage by James C. Smith and River Grove by Susan Rankin. The project began in 2019 with a Call for Submissions followed by a jury of local arts and cultural leaders who selected the two sculptures. The fundraising campaign began in 2020 and raised over $50,000 for the two works to be fabricated and installed in their new permanent home. This is the first public artwork to be installed under the City’s new Arts Policy.

The FAC is grateful for the support and assistance we have received from the Fenelon Falls Powerlinks Committee, Fenelon Rotary Club, the Community Foundation of Kawartha Lakes, The Fenelon Chest Fund, the Ontario Ministry of Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture Industries, City of Kawartha Lakes, and especially our many individual donors. The FAC is part of Kawartha Works Community Co-operative.

We would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to our Artists for their patience, imagination, and talent. We would also like to thank our community for their ongoing support and encouragement. We look forward to an official celebration in the coming months.  

JAMES C. SMITH
PORTAGE

PROJECT STATEMENT

My vision is to create a striking and expressive sculptural installation titled Portage. This engaging and iconic work highlights the portage at Fenelon Falls as a focal point of particular historical interest. It celebrates the foundational building block of the community of Fenelon Falls. This sculpture simultaneously honours the history and the vitality of the community; presenting a physical reminder of the many community-building contributions of First Nations peoples.

Three whimsical figures are rendered as life-sized canoe paddles in bronze. Two paddles are combined to create each of the figures with the paddle handles bent to resemble legs in walking position. These figures inclusively represent individuals from First Nations as well as current community members and those enjoying the towns abundance of recreational resources. In keeping with the portage theme, each figure carries a bronze canoe. The three figures together create a dynamic procession through the park.

A plaque will be mounted on the limestone base containing appropriately vetted text which acknowledges the history of the First Nations presence.

Measurements: 1.17m (h) x 1.47m (l) x 0.9m (w), 46” (h) x 58” (l) x 35” (w)

JAMES C. SMITH
CV

Education
1968-1971 - Bachelor of Arts - Sociology, York University, Toronto, Ontario
1974-1979 - Association of Ontario College of Art and Design Diploma, Ontario College of Art & Design, Toronto, Ontario

Professional Experience
1984-1998, 2009-2011 - Sculpture Director, Campbell Monument Company, Belleville, Ontario
1998-2009 - President & Sculpture Director, Campbell Monument Company, Belleville, Ontario
2009-Present - Chairperson, Toronto International Film Circuit Community Programming Co-ordinator, Arts Centre, Hastings, Ontario
2012-2015 - Hastings County Cultural Roundtable, Hastings, Ontario
1983-1985 - Art Instructor, Mimico and Warkworth Correctional Centres, Toronto and Warkworth, Ontario
1978-1983 - Art Instructor and Co-founder of the Creative Arts Department, Hugh MacMillan Medical Centre, Toronto, Ontario
1978-1983 - Art Education Department Studio Assistant, University of Toronto, Faculty of Education, Toronto, Ontario

Awards
2010 - American Institute of Commemorative Art, Harold Schaller Conceptual Design Award
June Callwood Ontario Outstanding Achievement Award for Volunteerism
2005 - American Institute of Commemorative Art, Annual Design Award
2005 - American Institute of Commemorative Art, Inducted as a Member, 2005
2003 - Quinte Economic Development Council, Small Business Achievement Award
2003 - Quinte Arts Council, Arts Recognition Award
1983 - Ontario Arts Council Grant
1984 - Canada Council Explorations Grant
1993-1994 - Grand Prize Winner, Monument Builders of North America International Competition

Publications
"Accentuate the Positive, Creative Arts For Children with Disabilities” with Co-author F. Herman, Addison Wesley Publishing, Toronto, 1988.
"Creatability, Creative Arts for Preschool Children with Disabilities” with Co-author F. Herman, Communication Skillbuilders/The Psychological Corporation, Phoenix, Arizona, 1992.

SUSAN RANKIN
RIVER GROVE

PROJECT STATEMENT

Through the past 32 years as a glass artist I have explored the idea of garden through my work. I live in a hard wood forest on the edge of the Canadian Precambrian Shield. The changes in the landscape coupled with the movement of light from season to season has lead to examinations of how glass columns can reference a new sense of space; a grove, a forest, a gathering. Natural light is a critical element for glass in outdoor settings. The shifting movement of the light throughout the day illuminates the glass elements, creating bursts of glowing colour that dance in the sunlight. As the day shifts, so does the shadows of the towering columns marking time and space.

The colours I have chosen for the sculpture: the blues represent the flow of water and the drop of the falls, the greys to acknowledge the layers of limestone in the area, greens to represent the trees, and orange-reds to warm the space like the sunset. While thinking of the this proposal, I considered:

• The historic connection to the logging industry, the River Grove represents the forest and logs that built our country.

• Fenelon Falls is known as the 'Jewel of the Kawarthas', this term seemed so adaptable to the way glass captures light; the sparkle, the intensity, the colour will mimic a jewel.

• The area known for its flat slab limestone which the falls so beautifully rolls over. The stacked components of glass represent the layers of stone found in the area.

• Lastly, for me, a grove represents a gathering. Lock 34 is one of the most popular locks in the summer months, thus as a grove is a gathering of trees, the area is a gathering place for a community.

River Grove would be comprised of 10 glass and steel columns. This series of work has been designed from nature, for nature. The columns sway in the wind creating a calming, natural movement. The columns are not damaged by wind because of the round nature of the glass; the wind cuts around and through the shapes. The transition of colour in each column is made up of several shades and tints in the glass elements. As the daylight shifts the piece moves in shadow, reminiscent of a sun dial, speaking to movement and time. During the winter months, the sculpture will beckon with playful punches of colour in the cold and snowy landscape.

Measurements: Each of the ten columns is comprised of 16 to 24 hand formed glass elements, approximately 2.5cm (5 inches) in diameter, and range in height from 1.18m (6-8 feet).

SUSAN RANKIN
CV

Education
2002 - Penland School, Penland, North Carolina, Session 4, Glass, Katherine Gray
2000 - Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, Deer Isle Maine, Session 6, Blacksmithing - Steve Yusko
1996 - Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, Deer Isle Maine, Session 6, Glass - Ruth King
1994 - Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, Session 4, Glass - Karen Willenbrink/Flora Mace
1987 - 1989 - Sheridan College School of Craft & Design, Oakville, Ontario, Glass Major
1989 - Pilchuck Glass School, Stanwood, Washington. Session 1, Flora Mace/Joey Kirkpatrick - advanced glassblowing
1987 - Pilchuck Glass School, Stanwood, Washington. Session 2, Flora Mace/Joey Kirkpatrick, Session 3, Willy Dexter/Jim Harmon
1984 - Pilchuck Glass School, Stanwood, Washington. Session 2, Klaus Moje

Selected Solo Exhibitions
2018 - Seeds of Light, Hand Wave, Meacham, Saskatchewan
2014 - Susan Rankin New Work, Hand Wave, Meacham, Saskatchewan
2013 - Susan Rankin: Valid Objects of Beauty, Station Gallery, Whitby, Ontario
2013 - SusanRankin, Spring Exhibition, Kuivato Gallery, Sedona, Arizona
2012 - Susan Rankin: Valid Objects of Beauty, Ontario Craft Council Gallery, Toronto, Ontario
2011 - Susan Rankin: Valid Objects of Beauty, The Esplanade Arts and Heritage Centre, Medicine Hat, Alberta
2010 - Susan Rankin: Valid Objects of Beauty, Saskatchewan Craft Council, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
2010 - SusanRankin: Valid Objects of Beauty, Art Gallery of Swift Current, Swift Current, Saskatchewan
2009 - Susan Rankin: Valid Objects of Beauty, Moose Jaw Museum & Art Gallery, Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan
2008 - Susan Rankin, Studio 21 Fine Art, Halifax, Nova Scotia
2007 - In Bloom, Nan Miller Gallery, Rochester, New York
2006 - About the Garden, Galerie Elena Lee, Montreal, Quebec
2005 - Epergne Revisited, Lafreniere & Pai Gallery, Ottawa, Ontario
2004 - Epergne, Uncommon Objects, York Quay Centre, Harbourfront Centre, Toronto, Ontario
2000 - Habatat Galleries, Boca Raton, Florida
1999 - Prime Gallery Toronto, Ontario
1996 - Controlled Neglect, Russell Gallery, Peterborough, Ontario
1995 - Flowers, Galerie Elena Lee Verre D'Art, Montreal, Quebec

Selected Exhibitions
2019 - Celebrating Our Women Artists, Petroff Gallery, Toronto, Ontario
2019 - Elora Sculpture Project 2019, Elora/Fergus, Ontario
2019 - Blink Exhibition 2019, ADC Fine Art, Cincinnati, Ohio
2018 - Forty-Four, Harbourfront Centre, Toronto, Ontario
2018 - Featured Artist in July, Meta4 Gallery, Port Perry, Ontario
2017 - Sculpture Garden, Oeno Gallery, Bloomfield, Ontario
2016 - Public Art Installation - Desert Grove, Nov. 2016, Palm Desert, California
2015 - Artwork for the Outdoors, Petroff Gallery, Toronto, Ontario
2014 - Duality in a Diaphanous Landscape, Strathcona County Art Gallery @501, Sherwood Park, Alberta
2014 - In The Garden, Burlington Art Centre, Burlington, Ontario
2013 - Assembly of Light, Endeavor Art Gallery, Calgary, Alberta
2013 - Playing With Fire, Water Street Gallery, Douglas, Michigan
2012 - Blizz Art, Winterlude 2012, outdoor sculpture installation, Ottawa, Ontario
2012 - Triennial 2012, Art Gallery of Peterborough, Peterborough, Ontario
2012 - Raising Eyebrows, Water Street Gallery, Douglas, Michigan
2011 - Art Prize, Grand Rapids Public Museum, Grand Rapids Michigan
2011 - SOFA New York 2011, SOFA Chicago 2011, Option Art
2010 - Teapots! 4th Invitational Exhibition, Morgan Contemporary Glass Gallery, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
2010 - SOFA Chicago 2010-SOLO Booth, Susan Rankin’s Garden, Option Art
2010 - Glass Factor: Luminaries in the Canadian Art Glass Scene, Canadian Clay & Glass Gallery, Waterloo, Ontario
2009 - Tenuous Tenacity, Glazen Huis, Flemish Centre for Contemporary Glass Art, Lommel, Belgium
2009 - Floral Feature, Kuivato Gallery, Sedona, Arizona
2008 - Palmbeach 3, Option Art, West Palm Beach, Florida
2008 - Glass Under Glass, Royal Botanical Garden, Burlington, Ontario
2007 - Palmbeach 3, Option Art, West Palm Beach, Florida
2007 - A Vital Mix, Ontario Craft Council 30th Anniversary, Toronto, Ontario
2006 - OBJECToronto, Gladstone Hotel, Toronto, Ontario.
2005 - SOFA Chicago, SOFA New York, SOFA Palm Beach, Option Art
2004 - Fragile Nature, Habatat Galleries Michigan, Birmingham, Michigan
2004 - 32nd Annual International Glass Invitational, Habatat Galleries Michigan, Royal Oak, Michigan
2003 - Person to Person, Uncommon Objects, Harbourfront Centre, Toronto, Ontario
2003 - Ten North, Sandra Ainsley Gallery, Toronto, Ontario
2002 - Expressions 2002, Quinte Arts Council Festival of the Arts, Belleville Public Library, Belleville, Ontario
2001 - 19th International Glass Invitational, Habatat Galleries, Boca Raton, Florida
2001 - Glass Lovers Weekend, Galerie Elena Lee, Wheaton Village, Millville, New Jersey
2000 - 18th International Glass Invitational, Habatat Galleries, Boca Raton, Florida.
2000 - Ten North, John Elder Gallery, New York, New York
1999 - Efflorescence, Canadian Craft Museum, Vancouver, British Columbia
1999 - Ten North, Morgan Contemporary Glass Gallery, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
1998 - 16th International Glass Invitational, Habatat Galleries, Boca Raton, Florida
1998 - Featured Artist, Kittrell/Riffkind Art Glass, Dallas, Texas
1997 - 15th International Glass Invitational, Habatat Galleries, Boca Raton, Florida
1996 - Anniversary Exhibition: 20 Years, Galerie Elena Lee Verre D'Art, Montréal, Québec
1994 - Movement, Moment, Gesture, The John B. Aird Gallery, Toronto, Ontario
1994 - Refractions/Directions, Canadian Clay and Glass Gallery, Waterloo, Ontario
1993 - Selected Treasures: A Treasury of Canadian Craft, Travelling exhibition in Asia, U.S.A.

Related Experience
2005-2019 - Instructor, Glass Certificate Program, Haliburton School of the Arts, Haliburton, Ontario
2006 - Artist in Resident, Harbourfront Glass Studio, Toronto, Ontario
2005 - Instructor, Intermediate Glass, Continuing Education Summer workshop, Sheridan College, Oakville, Ontario
2003-2004 - Advisory Committee Member, Glass Program, Haliburton School of the Arts, Haliburton, Ontario
2003 - Instructor, Glass Blowing & Bit Work, Haliburton School of the Arts, Haliburton, Ontario
2001 - Instructor, Intensive Workshop, Alberta College of Art & Design, Calgary, Alberta
2000 - Juror, Saidye Bronfman Award, Canada Council for the Arts
1999-2006 - Advisor to the Glass Studio, Harbourfront Centre, Toronto, Ontario
1999 - Lecture Series, Glass at Sheridan: A Northern Perspective - SOFA, Chicago
1998 - Instructor, Summer School of the Visual Arts, Hot Glass, Red Deer College, Alberta
1997 - Juror, Craft Grants, Ontario Arts Council
1989-1995 - Instructor glass blowing, Sheridan College, Oakville, Ontario
1989-1992 - Artist in Resident, Harbourfront Glass Studio, Toronto, Ontario

Awards & Grants
2013 - Exhibition Assistance Grant, Ontario Arts Council
2010 - National & International Touring Project Grant, Ontario Arts Council
2010 - Ontario Touring Project Grant, Ontario Arts Council
2009 - Individual Craft Grant, Ontario Arts Council
2006 - Individual Craft Grant, Ontario Arts Council
2003 - Crafts Grant, Canada Council for the Arts
2002 - Individual Craft Grant, Ontario Arts Council
2002 - County of Peterborough Recognition Award for Leadership in the Arts Community
1999 - Travel Grant, Canada Council for the Arts
1994 - 1995 - Individual Craft Grant, Ontario Arts Council
1991 - Ontario Crafts '91, M. Joan Chalmers Award for Glass
1990-1992 - Individual Craft Grant, Ontario Arts Council
1989 - Harbourfront Glass Studio, 1 Year Scholarship Residency
1989 - Indusmin Glass Award
1989 - Sheridan College Alumni Award, Silver Medal of Achievement

Selected Publications
2018 - Gil McElroy, Susan Rankin, Blog Post, re:sculpt, International Sculpture Center and Sculpture magazine, March 2018.
2014 - Sydney Lancaster, ‘Review: Duality in a Diaphanous Landscape – Susan Rankin and Manola Borrajo-Giner, Contemporary Canadian Glass, June 2014.
2013 - Gil McElroy, ‘Review Susan Rankin: valid objects of beauty’, Fusion Magazine, Volumne 37 Number 3 2013.
2012 - Cinzia Corella, ‘Review Susan Rankin: valid objects of beauty’, Studio:Craft and Design in Canada, Fall/Winter 2012-13.
2010 - Catalogue, ‘Studio Glass, Anna & Joe Mendel Collection’, The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts
2009 - Cinzia Corella ‘Susan Rankin Valid Objects of Beauty’, Moose Jaw Museum & Art Gallery, Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan
2009 - Catalogue, ‘tenuous tenacity (teer & taai)’ Contemporary Canadian Glass, Glazen Huis, Flemish Centre for Contemporary Glass Art, Lommel, Belgium
2007 - Jill Culora, ‘A Garden in Glass’, World Art Glass Quarterly Magazine, Volume 2, 2007
2007 - Cinzia Corella,‘About The Garden: An Invitation To Dialogue’, Contemporarty Canadian Glass, Spring 2007
2006 - ‘500 glass Objects’, Lark Books
2004 - Catalogue, ‘Epergne’, Uncommon Objects, Harbourfront Centre, Toronto , Ontario
2004 - New Glass Review 25, The Corning Museum of Glass
2004 - Agatha Cinader, ‘Review – Epergne-Sue Rankin’, Contemporary Canadian Glass, Vol. 4 - #56, Spring 2004
2003 - Richard Yelle, ‘Glass Art : International 2003’1999 - James Strecker, 'Sheridan The Cutting Edge In Crafts', Boston Mills Press
1999 - Deena Waisberg,'Profile-Artist Cultivates a Garden of Glass', The Toronto Star, Sunday, September 26, 1999
1996- New Glass Review 17, The Corning Museum of Glass
1996 - Catalogue, '20 Years Galerie Elena Lee', Galerie Elena Lee Verre D'Art
1995 - Kevin Lockau, 'Gesture of Grace', Glass Gazette, Summer 1995
1993 - Catalogue, 'Taipei International Exhibition of Traditional Arts & Crafts, 1993', Taipei Fine Arts Museum
1993 - Hickey, Gloria,'Canadian Glass Now', Neues Glas/New Glass, 1/93
1991 - Ontario Craft, summer, Ontario Craft Council
1991 - New Glass Review 12, The Corning Museum of Glass
1991 - Flood, Sandra, The Craft Factor, vol. 16, no. 3, fall, Saskatchewan Craft Council

Collections
Corning Museum, Corning, N.Y.
Claridge Collection, Montréal, Québec.
The Michel-Pierre Grenier Collection, Montréal, Québec
Saskatchewan Arts Board, Regina, Sask.
Winnipeg Art Gallery, Winnipeg, Manitoba.
SkyDome, Toronto, Ontario
UBS Bank (Canada), Toronto, Ontario
Department of Foreign Affairs, Government of Canada
Glazen Huis, Flemish Centre for Contemporary Glass Art, Lommel, Belgium
The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Montreal, Québec