Calgary group recruits sculptor to create Churchill statue for city
A group of local Winston Churchill enthusiasts are nearing their goal of erecting a statue of the wartime British prime minister in Calgary.
The Sir Winston Churchill Society of Calgary has commissioned the monument from a prolific Edmonton artist and hopes to unveil it in August at a to-be-determined location.
The group has raised about $250,000 for the statue, which is expected to cost $300,000, including placement and upkeep. They aim to raise another $200,000 to fund an annual speaker series in Calgary in honour of Churchill.
“Churchill was such a great leader, and that's sort of lacking, you could say, these days,” said society president Mark Milke. “He was quite the individual.”
The statue will be created by Danek Mozdzenski, an Edmonton sculptor whose previous works include a monument for former prime minister Lester B. Pearson at Parliament Hill. Mozdzenski has already created a bust of Churchill and is expected to complete the statue by July.
The work already has approval from Randolph Churchill III, a descendant of the British icon.
“The Churchill family is fully behind us and thinks the likeness is exactly like his great-grandfather,” Milke said.
Milke said his society is now preparing for discussions with the City of Calgary on the placement of the monument, which is subject to the city's approval, with plans for it to make its debut on Aug. 24, the anniversary of Churchill's 1929 visit to Calgary.
An ideal preference would be to install the piece in the Beltline's Central Memorial Park, but another potential location is Victory Park, a lesser-known spot, in Calgary's northeast Winston Heights neighbourhood.
No public funds will be used for the project, Milke said.
Churchill became prime minister of the United Kingdom in May 1940, leading the nation through the Second World War and combating the spread of fascism through Europe's democracies.
Before being elected to Britain's highest office, Churchill was a journalist, painter and member of the British Army. During his lone visit to Alberta in 1929, he toured locations including the Turner Valley oilfields, Emerald Lake and Lake Louise, and gave speeches.
Churchill is already commemorated by a few Calgary landmarks, including Sir Winston Churchill High School and the Sir Winston Churchill Aquatic and Recreation Centre, both in the city's northwest.