When an old maple tree fell at the Hillsburgh Library following a wind storm in 2021, it could have been a tragedy.
But it didn’t hit the building, which had just gone up a few years earlier, despite being right beside it and a local wood sculptor thought she could do something with it.
Now years later, Jennifer McKinnon’s large art piece was unveiled to those who braved the downpour on the weekend.
During an event called Arts by the Pond, at the Hillsburgh Library grounds, the public got its first look at the sculpture made from nine-foot slabs of the fallen maple tree and mounted on the stump that remained.
In her remarks to the crowd that gathered inside the library, McKinnon explained the sculpture is a book, with the pages dedicated to flora and fauna that are carved into the pages and coming out of the book.
“All of the species that are on that sculpture are at risk in Ontario, with the exception of the passenger pigeon, which is already obviously extinct,” McKinnon said. “I wanted to try to remind us that the ecosystem is pretty fragile.”
County councillor and library board chair Mary Lloyd said when this library branch opened in 2018, there was a tree preservation plan in place; the old maple tree was a big part of it and the loss of the tree was felt greatly by library staff.
A short time later, chief librarian Rebecca Hine had good news for her.
“She said, ‘This wonderful artist has come forward and said I think I can do something with this,’” Lloyd recalled. “Even though we were sad at losing the tree … we were also very grateful that someone was coming forward with an idea in which we could pay homage to this and to this place.”
The sculpture is part of a public art trail spearheaded by the Over Here Community Arts Adventure, a not-for-profit arts organization focused on beautifying Hillsburgh and Erin.
Another component of the art trail is an art piece that will be mounted on the side of the Hillsburgh Community Centre.
