Markham to find new pasture for cow statue
Charity the cow is being moooved. But where she will go, and when, is still up in the air. Markham councillors faced an udderly unique predicament Monday in deciding if they would let the city’s famous chrome cow statue on stilts — honouring a bovine that never actually stepped hoof in the city — stay put or be put out to pasture.
After hearing from residents, who brought pictures of the statue from the vantage point of inside their homes, the majority of councillors voted to move the cow from its home on a small parkette on Charity Cres., to a location that has yet to be determined.
It is also not clear when the 7.5-metre-high statue will be taken down.
“What we voted is to remove it, to find a location and also to come back in October to get a report and to have it relocated by the end of 2017,” said regional councillor Nirmala Armstrong, after the meeting.
Mayor Frank Scarpitti voted against relocating the statue.
The statue, called Charity: Perpetuation of Perfection, was donated and installed earlier this summer by local developer Helen Roman-Barber and has attracted hundreds of curious bovine art critics and lovers to the quiet suburb of Cathedraltown, near Elgin Mills Rd. and Woodbine Ave.
Roman-Barber said the statue was to honour her father, developer Stephen Roman, who owned Romandale Farm, the land on which Cathedraltown now rests. It was also to honour his purchase of a 50-per-cent share in Brookview Tony Charity — regarded as the greatest show cow of all time. Charity, which lived most of its life at the Hanover Hill Farm in Port Perry and is buried there, never visited Markham.
The decision to move Charity came after a lengthy discussion with residents who expressed concerns about the “intrusive” nature of the public art piece, the lack of consultation before installation and the immense height of the cow located just a few feet from their homes.
“The cow is terrifyingly close,” said resident Vic Lam, who showed council a picture of the statue from his 4-year-old son’s window.
“It’s at eye level, which is absurd,” Lam said. “Imagine your child trying to sleep, and outside his window, at eye level, is a large chrome cow. It even gives me anxiety, let alone a child.”
They all agreed the art should remain in Markham, calling it “good art in a bad location.”
“In keeping Markham’s heritage and past, we are disrespecting the present,” said resident Joanna So, who lives on Charity Cres.
“Honouring the past must not come at the expense of people who live here today. We ask the statue be made at a different location, for public viewing, so both honouring the past and the present can be achieved.”
Stephen Chait, director of economic growth, culture and entrepreneurship for the city of Markham, said the artist was not open to removing the stilts. And councillors said in previous discussions that Roman-Barber was not open to moving it.
But councillors asked staff Monday to talk to her again.
Ed Shiller, a spokesperson for Roman-Barber said the developer “has made her position with regard to the statue of Charity clear from the beginning.” According to a memorandum signed between the town and the developer in 2016, Markham “reserves the right . . . to remove from public display or relocate the sculpture if deemed necessary or desirable by the city.”
The city does have to consult with the donor prior to any final decision being made, but the “decision of the city shall be final,” the memo says, giving the donor the option to take back the sculpture, if they so wish.
Charity Cres. resident Danny Da Silva is optimistic.
“It looks like there is a great deal of support,” he said. “Now (the councillors) see what we see, they feel what we feel and I hope we can move forward and find it a proper home.”
“It’s at eye level, which is absurd.” VIC LAM CHARITY CRES. RESIDENT