This article was published June 24, 2020 on Urban YVR.
Ten bronze cast panels designed by a prominent Musqueam artist have been installed at UBC’s Vancouver campus.
The title of the artwork, designed by Brent Sparrow Jr, is ʔəlqsən — the hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ word for ‘point of land.’
The panels are attached to concrete pillars separating the bus loop from the new MacInnes Field, and thousands of students will see them every day, once students are back on campus post-pandemic.
The carvings feature supernatural and natural creatures in a Coast Salish design. Sparrow’s artist statement states: “eagles, salmon and thunderbirds, together, are uplifting and inspiring: symbols of protection and enlightenment.”
Sparrow worked with the MacInnes Field design team, campus stakeholders and representatives of the Musqueam Nation to produce the installation.
