Six artists chosen for prime minister statue project at Castle Kilbride

Six artists from across Canada have been picked to make life-size sculptures for the prime minister statue project that will be installed on the grounds around Castle Kilbride in Baden, Ont.

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The statue project will feature bronze replicas of Canada's 22past prime ministers and was initially created to mark Canada's 150thbirthday this year. Currently, Sir John A. Macdonald is the only past prime minister who has been cast in bronze for the project.

The artists include:

• Ruth Abernethy of Ontario, whose Macdonald sculpture was first unveiled in 2015.
• Darren Byers and Fred Harrison of New Brunswick.
• Alan Henderson of Alberta.
• MorganMacdonald of Newfoundland.
• Nathan Scott of British Columbia.

"We spent the winter of 2014 looking at the work of artists from across Canada, then we selected 25 artists and we invited them to apply to our committee, and then from the 25 submissions, we chose the six artists to complete the works," said JimRodger, the co-coordinator of the project.

Selection process

Rodgertold CBC News it was important to pick artists from across the country, as well as artists who had previous experience working with bronze.

"We were looking for people who were going to give usexceptionallygood and realistic likenesses, had experience working in bronze and had done publiccommissionsbefore," he said.

Rodgersaidartists will have to meetseveral criteria in their sculptures of the prime ministers.

"We want them to be life size, like the existing Sir John A. Macdonald is, and then we want them depicted as they physically appeared at thetime of their term ofoffice," he said.

"And then we're also asking them to incorporate this idea of very hidden... orsubtle icons within the sculpture that make people look and discover things about their personalityand their careers."

Timeline

Two sculptures will completed and unveiled on June 29th, right before Canada Day, and then another statue will be unveiled by Remembrance Day.

"Beyond that we're still fundraising, and as funds build up thenwe'll keep commissioning and placing them out at Castle Kilbride," said Rodger.