This spring, there will be no shortage of welcoming faces to greet travellers at the Prince George Airport.
Artist Aiden Callison's portrait chandelier sculpture will be unveiled at the end of May as part of a Welcome PG project aimed at creating welcoming and inclusive communities and workplaces in Prince George.
Part of the Immigrant and Multicultural Services Society, the Welcome PG program teamed up with Initiatives Prince George and the Chamber of Commerce to create a public artwork celebrating diversity.
"After living for 40 years in Prince George, my dream is coming true that diversity is more inclusive, being embraced by this community and now embodied in a public artwork," said IMSS executive director Baljit Sethi.
The art will consist of a steel structure resembling the two rivers with suspended glass panels of photographic portraits of past and present Prince George residents. The concept is that like the rivers, people in this city are fluid - constantly moving - and that this is a worldwide movement.
Callison said he feels a connection to the project as his own grandfather moved to Prince George when he first immigrated to Canada in 1928.
"This is a familiar story for people living in P.G. because we are all here from another part of the world," said Welcome PG project manager Cat Sivertsen. "The only difference is that some of us have been here longer."
Callison's proposal was accepted after a province-wide invitation to artists to respond to the theme of celebrating diversity.
"It was difficult to choose the project because it needed to reflect the theme as well as suit the environment where it would be installed," said Sivertsen.
The sculpture will be suspended from the ceiling in the airport's arrivals terminal.
"We are both privileged and honoured to have been considered and chosen as the site for this remarkable piece of art," said Prince George Airport Authority CEO John Gibson. "The Prince George Airport is often the first impression people have of the city and this piece will help make that a very positive experience."
In addition to the permanent installation, there will also be an exhibit at Two Rivers Gallery of success stories, as told by new Canadian immigrants as well as images of Callison's work in progress. The exhibit will open April 5 and run until April 29.
The commission was made possible by funding from the provincial and federal governments and the Welcome BC program, which is part of the Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Innovation. Welcome PG also partnered with an art advisory committee made up of representatives from the city, regional district, Native Friendship Centre, arts and business community as well as the public library and airport.
For ongoing information about Callison's progress, visit Welcome PG's website at www.welcomepg.ca or their Facebook page.
