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Margaret Atwood is one of Canada's most decorated citizens. She was
portrayed in bronze for the Canadian Geographic Society and celebrated
in the exquisite headquarters of the CGS on February 9th, 2023.
Presence in Absence - Ruth Abernethy's sculptures for Highway of
Heroes Trees for Life Campaign
Ruth Abernethy's bronzes unveiled
at the Port Hope and Trenton On Routes on November 9, 2022
represent 67 members of the Canadian military. "It's all divisions, all ethnicities
and genders," says Ruth Abernethy, the sculptor. "We tried to be as broad
as we could in the representation and the picking of the portraits."
The bronze portraits were created
with negative space backed by
awning fabric that is lit at night. The
portraits have a key to locate those
represented. At the unveiling in Port
Hope, a military family was already
seeking "their person" showing that
indeed there is a powerful presence in
each person's absence.
The unveiling of the sculptures represented the end of a long and very
successful Trees for Life campaign
that saw 2.5 million trees planted in
the 401 corridor from Trenton to
Keele Street in Toronto. The trees
mark the passage of 158 herœs who
made the trip from Trenton to
Toronto in a hearse. The additional
millions of carbon dioxide capturing
trees also mark the volunteers who
have served in the Canadian military
since the War of 1812 (symbolically
represented by Ruth's 67 portraits).
Mark Cullen is Co-Founder and
Chair of Trees for Life.
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