Dawson Creek marks Alaska Highway's 75th year with sculpture

Dawson Creek is paying tribute to the 75th anniversary of the Alaska Highway's construction with a new piece of public art.

On Friday, the Peace Liard Regional Arts council unveiled a trencher sculpture, called "Emergence,"made from a six-tonne piece of equipment used to dig ditches for the highway back in 1942.

The trencher was modified by several artists into an art sculpture placed at Northern Alberta RailwayPark.

"They totally modified [the trencher]so they expressed their perspectives of the region and the history through their own individual experiences," arts council director Donna Kane told Radio West host Alya Ramadan.

"We also brought in a number of other regional artists who contributed designs to the project. So it works beautifully, but the idea wasn't to make it say one thing but more to celebrate all the different perspectives that exist up in our neck of the woods."

The trencher was donated by a collector who requested it be modified into a sculpture.

Kane says the sculpture acknowledges Treaty 8 and emphasizes Indigenous perspectives, while also honouring Canada 150 along with the 75th anniversary of the Alaska Highway.

Friday's unveiling event featured speakers, Indigenous drummers, musicians and a wind-up party at a local pub.

"It was just a wonderful coming together of all the people who worked so hard to make the project happen," Kane said.

She says her hope is the project will help illustrate that one event or anniversary can be perceived in many different ways.

Listen to the full interview:

With files from CBC Radio One's Radio West