Brock University Showcases Sculpture by Esteemed Indigenous Architect

The Brock Library’s Makerspace is the temporary home of a bronze sculpture created by renowned Indigenous architect Douglas Cardinal. Sunflame will take its place as the centrepiece of the First Nations Peace Monument at Decew House Heritage Park in Thorold in the spring.

The Sunflame bronze sculpture as it will look when permanently installed as the centrepiece of the First Nations Peace Monument at Decew House Heritage Park in Thorold in the spring of 2024.

The monument, located just minutes from Brock’s main campus, honours and acknowledges the significant contributions of First Nations people in the building of Canada.

“Though the First Nations Peace Monument is small in size and tucked away in a secluded park setting in Thorold, it has enormous national significance,” says Associate Professor of Geography and Tourism Studies David Brown, who played a major role in the monument project.

“It’s dedicated to the proposition that the commonalities and shared experiences that bind us together as allies today must become much stronger than our historic differences.”

Brock partnered with the non-profit community group Friends of Laura Secord to display Sunflame so the community can enjoy the sculpture before it moves to its permanent location.

The glass-walled Makerspace, located in the busy Rankin Family Pavilion, is an ideal venue to prominently display the sculpture.

“The Makerspace is honoured to be the temporary home of the Sunflame sculpture,” says Makerspace Supervisor Derek Schneider. “We hope to educate the Brock community on all things pertaining to ‘making’ while paying homage to our rich Indigenous community and heritage.”

Cardinal’s signature designs draw inspiration from the organic forms of the natural world, and he uses technology, similar to the 3D rendering and printing tools available in the Makerspace, to translate them into distinctive architectural and sculptural works.

Some of his works include the Canadian Museum of History in Gatineau, Que., TELUS World of Science in Edmonton, Alta., and the National Museum of the American Indian on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.