‘We’re moving on’: Society plans 1st female statue in Halifax

HALIFAX – If you look around at the public art in Halifax, you may notice a disparity: the majority of statues are of men.

There are approximately 280 statues in Halifax, according to HRM spokesperson Jennifer Stairs.

However, she said that in terms of female representation, there are few depictions of specific personages or historical women’s groups.

Stairs notes the Public Art Policy “does indicate that future acquisitions should try to highlight diversity, as the inventory right now is quite ‘male colonialist’.”

She said there are plaques that commemorate individual women and statues that depict fictional female characters.

However, The Halifax Women’s History Society wants actual women rather than mythological women to be recognized.

On Thursday, the society launched a program, called A Woman on the Waterfront, to raise money for a monument of a woman. It will depict female volunteers during World War Two.

Spokesperson Janet Guildford said the statue will serve two purposes.

“The first is it was definitely time to celebrate and honour and commemorate the female volunteers. We felt a pressing need to honour those women before we lose their stories,” she said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "The first is it was definitely time to celebrate and honour and commemorate the female volunteers. We felt a pressing need to honour those women before we lose their stories," she said.

Guildford said the second was to correct the imbalance of male and female statues.

“I guess I see it in part through my young granddaughter’s eyes. As you walk through the city, only men are honoured and commemorated. Therefore she must be less important than those men and I don’t want her to grow up feeling like women don’t make as big a contribution as men to any society. They certainly do and it’s important to recognize that in a visual way.”

Guildford said it is disappointing women aren’t represented in the statues around city.

“Women have been important figures in Canadian history and that should be recognized. Girls and women going out into the city should see themselves.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "Women have been important figures in Canadian history and that should be recognized. Girls and women going out into the city should see themselves."

Project praised by volunteers

Marjorie Lindsay, 90, was a volunteer during the Second World War. She said it’s important to talk about how women contributed to the war effort.

“Women just volunteered. They took people into their homes. They met troops. They were just wonderful,” she said.

“Women somehow always took a backseat. Women did so many things. They weren’t recognized.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "Women somehow always took a backseat. Women did so many things. They weren't recognized."

Peggy McAlbine, 100, volunteered at the canteen during the war and supported women coming into Halifax for the first time as they bid farewell to young soldiers.

She said it’s due time for a monument of women to be erected in Halifax.

“I think we’re moving on,” she said. “Women are taking their place in government, society and business.”

Correcting a gap

Councilor Jennifer Watts, who appeared on behalf of the mayor at the event, said the time is ripe to correct the lack of female representation in public art.

“Often we don’t understand the impact sometimes of the invisibility of women’s contributions to our community,” she said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "Often we don't understand the impact sometimes of the invisibility of women's contributions to our community," she said.

“This particular statue will honour women during the Second World War but as we know women have done a lot of very important work in our community.”

The society has been working on this project for about two years and it hopes to unveil the statue in 2017 near the Halifax Seaport Market.

The cost is estimated to cost $750,000, which will be raised through private and corporate donations. The society has raised $100,000 so far and the municipality awarded the society a $5,000 grant towards the sculpture commission. They have also requested assistance from the province.

Community Services Minister Joanne Bernard said she supports the project and is open to discussions with the society about a financial contribution.

“I absolutely agree with them,” Bernard said.

“When you look at the war effort and the role women played moving industry along while men were serving in the war, it’s a commendable task that they’re taking on.”

With a file from Rebecca Lau