An aesthetic solution for an ailing tree

Claudette Savaria, a horticulturalist at the Public Works Department, presented the concept to the committee in October as an art project. She said invitations could be sent out to Westmount’s community of professional and amateur artists asking them to submit ideas.

Savaria said the choice of a sculptor could be made by the Gallery Selection Committee, which usually screens artists whose work is featured in the art gallery next to Victoria Hall.

She told The Examiner that calls for submissions were likely to be published starting in January. She said submissions would also be welcomed from Dawson College arts

students who are interested in wood

sculpture.

Savaria informed the committee that, given the current condition of the selected tree on the west side of the library’s main entrance, it will probably have to be taken down within the next three to five years.

She also said it could be difficult to find a budget for this project. Fundraising suggestions were made by various committee members, such as a plant exchange or families willing to sponsor memorial trees.

Savaria said that it’s only a matter of time before the tree in question succumbs. “We expect to take it down next year,� she said. “So instead of taking it completely down, we decided because of its location — it’s right in front of the library and the garden between the library and the gallery — that it will be a good idea to make a piece of art out of it — what we call public art.�

Savaria said she got the idea for the

project after attending professional

conferences in Brandon, Manitoba recently.

Since Brandon is located on a flood plain, she saw many trees that had died.

“Someone proposed to sculpt something, and it was quite successful and well received,� she said, adding that about a dozen trees in Brandon have been turned into works of art.

“It’s quite nice, actually; it adds to the area and it’s in a public place.� According to Savaria, examples of trees sculpted into art are also common in certain parts of Quebec, including the Gaspé peninsula.

While the project would have its merits, Savaria cautioned that the

finished work would only last a certain time.

The dead tree’s root system would decay in three to five years, she said, adding that because of the location it could also be faster.

But if the finished art work is well-executed and becomes appreciated by Westmounters, “maybe it would be worth it to relocate it somewhere,� she said.

Savaria said certain preservatives are

available which could protect the sculpture against the elements a few extra years.

She said a theme the City is initially considering as the subject for the proposed sculpture would concern Westmount Park, the library or some part of the history of Westmount.

“It could include people, animals, scenes. It depends, really. That’s why it’s very wide as a subject. But it has to be related in some way to Westmount, of course.�