A new work by a Semiahmoo First Nation artist has been commissioned to enhance the exterior of Totest Aleng: Indigenous Learning House at the Elgin Heritage Park in South Surrey.
At its Oct. 16 meeting, council endorsed contracting with Leslie Wells to complete and install his design for the Learning House, adjacent to the Historic Stewart Farm site at the park.
According to a corporate report from parks, recreation and culture general manager Laurie Cavan, Wells’ circular painted cedar wood carving depicting the sun – at an estimated diameter of almost five feet – will be mounted over the entrance to the Learning House, inside the centre’s open-air pavilion.
Estimated completion for the project – funded from the construction budget of the Learning House, augmented by public art reserve funds for public art in South Surrey – will be in the spring of 2024.
Total costs, set at $60,000, include artist fees, fabrication, engineering, installation, and future maintenance requirements.
The new space, opened in June, provides “dedicated space to support Indigenous cultural practices, including carving and other creative disciplines,” Cavan said.
The venue includes enclosed studio space, as well as the pavilion, designed to support additional programming and gathering.
Cavan said that the goals and use of the facility, and its location in the traditional territory of the Semiahmoo First Nation, prompted a directed call for artists from SFN.
“Leslie Wells was selected for the commission per Semiahmoo protocol,” Cavan said, noting that he previously apprenticed with well-known Haida artist Robert Davidson.
That included assisting Davidson in the creation of a symbolic house post (part of ‘The Gift’ project, now located at Grand Chief Bernard Robert Charles Memorial Plaza in White Rock).
Also known for his paintings, jewelry, and prints, Wells is a 2008 graduate from the Northwest Coast Jewelry Arts Program at the Native Education College in Vancouver led by Kwakwaka’wakw/Haida artist Dan Wallace.
In calling for a vote in support of the commission, Mayor Brenda Locke described the Learning House as “an absolutely fabulous facility.”
“If you haven’t had a chance to visit it, please do,” she said.
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