A soapstone sculpture of an eagle and a human entranced in meditation was presented Thursday to U.S. President Barack Obama by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau during his first official visit to Washington, D.C.
Woodland Cree artist Leo Arcand from the Alexander First Nation, about 40 kilometres northwest of Edmonton, said he was “ecstatic” and stunned to find out his sculpture Courage had been selected as Trudeau’s gift.
“It’s not every day that the prime minister of Canada takes one of your art pieces and gives it to the president of the United States as a gift. It’s truly, I don’t know what to think. I’m speechless,” Arcand said, adding he had no idea this was in the works.
“I’m just so lost for words, I can’t even concentrate right now,” he said, laughing.
Bearclaw Gallery, the 40-year-old Edmonton institution on 124 Street and Stony Plain Road that represents Arcand and other aboriginal artists, was contacted about the $650 work of art by an unknown buyer a few weeks ago.
It wasn’t until later that gallery staff found out they were dealing with the Prime Minister’s Office and were told to keep the purchase discreet.
“That was the first surprise,” gallery assistant Hope Wright said. The second was finding out the sculpture was intended for Obama.
“We were just thrilled,” she said. “We sell (Arcand’s) pieces all over the place, but this is probably the biggest, most well-known receiver of one of his pieces.”
Arcand has been sketching since he was a young boy. He became infatuated with stone carving after being introduced to the craft in 1991. His daughter, Julia Cardinal, said he began sculpting the day she was born.
“All of his artwork comes from the heart,” she said, gushing with pride.
Arcand said he draws inspiration from spirituality and tries to achieve balance in his pieces. Sculpting at his studio on Driftpile Cree Nation is a long and involved process. Much of it takes place outdoors. He takes each piece of stone and studies it, trying to find its spirit. Sometimes he works on 10 pieces at once, he said, before narrowing down the focus and meaning of each one.
The piece going to Obama is shaped like a teardrop with an eagle sculpted into its stem, and a face and a hole in the belly of the teardrop.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau gave U.S. President Barack Obama this sculpture by Alexander First Nations artist Leo Arcand during his visit this week.
“This is a person in meditation or in dream,” Arcand said. “The hole represents the spirit of the human figure, which is ongoing and never-ending. The eagle could represent the sky’s the limit. It could represent peace, working together.”
Arcand said he hopes Obama feels peace, love and unity when he looks at the sculpture. “This is very personal, I believe, from one dignitary to another.”
Wright, the gallery assistant, described Arcand as a “master sculptor” who is known for using elements from his culture, such as bears, wolves and his ancestors, in his art.
“He weaves them into these truly flowing pieces that are just lovely and he often says he leaves a space in the sculpture … open to receive messages from the Creator,” she said.
Arcand said if he could speak to Trudeau, he would thank him for choosing his work.
“I would thank him and tell him how grateful we are as a nation to have a prime minister such as yourself,” he said.
Obama and his family also received from the Trudeaus a beaded aboriginal cape from Quebec, all-weather Muttluks dog booties from Toronto for their two Portuguese water dogs, and scarves for their two daughters by an Ottawa designer.
A history of gifts:
• In 2010, former Prime Minister Stephen Harper gave Obama a sugar maple-wood bowl and a handcrafted glass tree in a green frame.
• In 2011, Harper gave Obama a basketball signed by the 2010-2011 Toronto Raptors and a gold-framed antique map of North America.
• In 2012, Harper gave Obama a painting entitled, Enemy in Sight, depicting a naval scene from 1813 by artist Peter Rindlisacher.
