Five Teams Are in the Running to Design the Memorial to the Victims of Communism-Canada, a Land of Refuge

GATINEAU, QUEBEC--(Marketwired - Nov. 7, 2016) - Department of Canadian Heritage

The Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Canadian Heritage, unveiled the names of the five design teams that are in the running to design the Memorial to the Victims of Communism-Canada, a Land of Refuge, launching the next important step in the design competition for this new monument in Canada's Capital Region.

The following teams of professional artists, landscape architects, architects and other urban design professionals were shortlisted in the Request for Qualifications phase that closed on October 11, 2016:

• Team space2place: Jeff Cutler, landscape architect (Vancouver, British Columbia) and Ken Lum, artist (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
• Team Mills: Karen Mills (Hamilton, Ontario) and Ben Mills, public art consultants; Silvano Tardella and Robert M. S. Ng, landscape architects; Jordan Söderberg Mills, artist (all from Toronto, Ontario); Vong Phaophanit and Claire Oboussier, artists (London, U.K.)
• Team Moskaliuk: Wiktor Moskaliuk, architect (Markham, Ontario); Claire Bedat, landscape architect (Washington, D.C.); Larysa Kurylas, artist (Washington, D.C.)
• Team Raff: Paul Raff, artist and architect; Michael A. Ormston-Holloway, designer and certified arborist; Brett Hoornaert, landscape architect; Luke Kairys, landscape architect (all from Toronto, Ontario)
• Team Reich+Petch Architects: Tony Reich, architect (Toronto, Ontario); Catherine Widgery, artist (Cambridge, Massachusetts); Matthew Sweig, landscape architect (Toronto, Ontario)

These design teams have until March 2, 2017, to complete their proposals.

The designs will be evaluated by a jury comprising design professionals and content specialists:

• Larry Beasley, CM, is the retired director of planning for the City of Vancouver and currently the Distinguished Practice Professor of Planning at the University of British Columbia.
• Ruth Derksen is Professor Emeritus at the University of British Columbia and a first-generation Canadian of Russian Mennonite descent. Dr. Derksen holds a PhD in the philosophy of language.
• Ludwik Klimkowski is the President of Moneyweb Financial, a financial planning and investment service, serves as Chair of Tribute to Liberty and is Vice-President of the Canadian Polish Congress for Canadian Affairs.
• Ted Merrick is the director of the design studio at Ferris + Associates and a founder of the acclaimed Winter Stations Design Competition in Toronto that reimagines lifeguard stations with temporary public art.
• Nadia Myre is a visual artist from Quebec and an Algonquin member of the Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg First Nation. Ms. Myre is the recipient of several prestigious grants and awards, including the Sobey Art Award.

This memorial will recognize Canada's role as a place of refuge for people fleeing injustice and persecution, and honour the millions who suffered under communist regimes.

Quotes

"I'd like to thank everyone who applied during the Request for Qualifications phase. Today, the five finalist teams will tour the Garden of the Provinces and Territories to acquaint themselves with the site of the Memorial. I feel confident that this open design process will result in a thoughtful and compelling memorial that will speak to the present and future generation of Canadians."

-The Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Canadian Heritage

"We appreciate the commitment of Minister Joly, who has worked closely with the Canadian cultural communities represented by Tribute to Liberty, to bring this project to completion. This new capital landmark will recognize the role Canada has played in offering refuge to the millions that left behind torment and oppression under communist regimes for new beginnings in a free and democratic country."

-Ludwik Klimkowski, Chair of Tribute to Liberty

Quick Facts

• The final phase of this competition-evaluation of the designs, currently scheduled for April 2017-will include a review by an expert jury composed of design professionals and content specialists.
• There will be an opportunity for the public to view and comment on the submissions before a decision on the final design is made.
• The Memorial will be built just west of the terraces of the Garden of the Provinces and Territories in downtown Ottawa.
• The Department of Canadian Heritage is developing this project on behalf of Tribute to Liberty and in partnership with the National Capital Commission.
• Tribute to Liberty, established in 2008, is a Canadian charity whose mission is to establish a Canadian memorial to commemorate the victims of communism.

Associated Links

Memorial to the Victims of Communism

Tribute to Liberty

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