You + Me Sculpture up for the final approval

What’s coming to Jackson Park that has been sitting away for about a year? Apparently, the “You + Me” Sculpture.

The actual plan for the “You + Me”’ sculpture was to create two wooden seven-foot-tall Windsor Chairs which would be covered in wax fingerprints molded to the chairs. Once the chairs were covered in fingerprints, they were to be cast in bronze and then installed in Jackson Park.

After almost a decade, the $170,500 sculpture project for Jackson Park is finally approved.

The sculpture is meant to honour Windsor’s sister city relationships. It was first proposed on Jan. 27, 2010 and Windsor City Council greenlit the project Monday night.

A sister city relationship is a long-term partnership between two communities in two countries. A city can have any number of sister cities, with community involvement. Windsor has a total of 12 twin sister cities around the world.

Local artist Mark Williams will bronze two seven-foot chairs from the 2013 International Children’s Games, part of the Twin Cities Monument Project. 12 sister cities.

“It’s exciting to have enough new sculpture going ahead,” said Cathy Masterson, Manager of Cultural Affairs at the City of Windsor.

“It’s a nice opportunity to celebrate the relationship we have with our sister cities; Windsor has a number of cities so that we partner with around the world. So, it’s one more example and opportunity to share that.”

“The chairs are to invite people to come together and have a conversation,” said Masterson.

The sister city names are going to be carved into the chairs.

“So, once it’s in place, it could live for hundreds of years. Right. Bronze is a very enduring metal, which again, is a reflection of the type of relationship we hope to continue,” said Masterson.

It was originally called the Twin Cities Monument Project, it started as a competition for high school students in 2010 but turned out “disappointing” results. So, the contest was still opened to the whole city in 2011 and a formal call for expressions of interest in 2012.

Neither got much response.

Furthermore, in 2013, the committee rose up the amount of money from $15,000 to $25,000 and ultimately got in contact with a local artist, Laura Shintani. Her concept was the You + Me sculpture which would cost $25,000, including the local Korean Society contributing $1,000 and Shintani herself fundraising $224,000 for a total cost of $250,000.

Tremendous number of international students have come to Windsor last year, in comparison to the past few years.

There are so many places to visit in the city, but Jackson Park is one of the tourist place one can visit to, especially at the time of Christmas and New Year as it hosts the Bright Lights Windsor Festival.

“I often visit to Jackson Park because of its serenity whenever I come to Windsor, I’ve heard people talking about the upcoming sculpture and the layout is really interesting as the idea is very heart warming,” said visitor Guneet Kaur. “I love Jackson Park, especially during the Windsor Lights decoration. It’s ideal for morning walks and if you need some personal space amidst the busy world.”

After the meeting on Jan. 27, 2020. The vote was 7-2 with councillors Fred Francis and Gary Kaschak voting against it.

Over the years, they were on display in the Art Gallery of Windsor, Windsor Public Library and the lobby of the Alzheimer Society, where they were exposed to the full sun causing the wax fingerprints to melt and deteriorate. They eventually came back to the city.

“So, after council approves the final opportunity, then we have to involve our legal team putting agreements together between the artist and other organizations that wish to fund it or help us fund it,” said Masterson. “Then we have to work with the artists haven’t made and have it cast. So, depending on schedules at the refinery and things like that, it could take six months, or it could take a year. So, there’s quite a process once it’s been approved.”