The five proposed statues for the Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts in Kingston. Images (top, left to right): Altar(ed) Grounds by Don Kwan, Three Sisters by Norah Ocran-Caesar, (bottom, left to right) Consonance by Hooman Mehdizadehjafari, The 5th Seed by AstroSankofa Arts Initiative’s Jamera DaCosta and Quentin VerCetty, and Voices from the Land by Amiel Logan and Paul Slipper; images via Coaltion of Kingston Communities.
A new sculpture commemorating the heritage of Indigenous peoples and racialized minority peoples in Kingston is planned for the forecourt of the Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts.
Five proposals for the art installation are on display in the atrium of the Isabel, and the public is invited to provide input, according to a release from the Coalition of Kingston Communities, a self-described umbrella organization of community groups working to make the City of Kingston accountable and transparent
The Coalition detailed that the art installation will be the culmination of a research project investigating the impact of Kingston’s dominant cultural heritage narratives on the well-being of Indigenous and racialized minorities. According to the release, the project is led by a multidisciplinary research team of political and legal theorists, as well as health-care researchers, with guidance provided by an advisory circle of Indigenous and racialized minority community leaders.
Consonance.
Voices from the Land.Images via Coalition of Kingston Communities.
The project, ‘Toppling Monuments: Colonial Trauma, Justice, Heritage and Restorative Healing,’ reportedly centres on key questions about Kingston’s cultural heritage: Whose stories are being honoured, in what way, and at what cost, and what is the way forward?
“We learned that Kingston’s heritage narratives – think of Sir John A Macdonald or the United Empire Loyalists – have had a complicated effect on underrepresented groups,” said Professor Christine Sypnowich, the project’s principal investigator.
According to the release, the project’s research indicates that, while some people admire Kingston’s limestone buildings or welcome a holiday to mark Canada Day, others find the cultural heritage stories told about Kingston to be exclusive and hurtful. The Coalition said that the art installation will try to remedy that by commemorating heritage narratives of the oppression, resilience, and achievements of Indigenous and racialized minority peoples.
Altar(ed) Grounds
Three Sisters.Images via Coalition of Kingston Communities.
“The prospect of a new art installation that will honour the untold stories of Kingston’s heritage is so exciting,” said Carol Ann Budd, an Indigenous alumnus of Queen’s Engineering and a member of the project’s advisory circle.
“The sculpture promises to be a key Kingston landmark for generations to come.”
The proposals will be on display at the Isabel Bader Centre until Tuesday, May 12, 2026. Members of the public can also view the proposals and offer their feedback online at ‘Queen’s ‘Toppling Monuments’ Project: Tell us what you think!’
The 5th Seed. Image via Coalition of Kingston Communities.