Statue Garden
Ògo Tàwa is leading the development of the Black Heroes Statue Garden Project commemorating Black leaders whose achievements have contributed to advancing Canadian society. We propose to commission the first-ever national landmarks of bronze full-figured statues to be installed across the GTHA, created by emerging and established Black Canadian artists in celebration of Black leadership.
The bronze medium of the statues will ensure that the art pieces last for a millennium. To create statue gardens of bronze sculptures, with accompanying educational programming for the public and upskilling of Black Canadian artists would cost 10 million dollars. Right now, there's little representation of Black people in the GTHA, in art statue form, to our knowledge.
The Black Heroes Community Statue Garden will address and remedy the absence of Black men and women in our city narratives, especially within public monuments. It will be an unparalleled tourist attraction for southern Ontario, unlike anything else across Canada. It will truly be the first of its kind.
We seek to engage Black artists and art educators from the GTHA arts community to seek meaningful feedback on potential programming as the project progresses.
Our sculpture garden will have the power to uplift, heal, and contribute to the enhanced psychological well-being of the community it represents. When crafted with love by members of the communities they represent, these art forms can replace harmful stereotypes with contrasting images of joy, perseverance, ingenuity, and excellence. The Black Heroes Statues Garden Project aligns with efforts to confront anti-black racism in meaningful and sustainable ways that positively shift public narratives about Black people