Indigenous artworks add notes of grace, beauty and culture to the heart of the city.
If it seems that some bright, bold octopi (octopuses?) have spread their tentacles through the Inner Harbour, well, you’re not wrong. They’ve also been joined by stylized sea wolves, otters, hummingbirds and salmon, all part of a collaborative placemaking project designed to celebrate the community’s rich First Nations culture.
Look closely and you’ll see: lampposts adorned with hummingbirds designed by artist Brianna Bear; a family of orcas by Melissa McClurg on a marina pile; sea wolves by the father-daughter team of John and Lajah Warren etched into the glass of the marina gates near the Fairmont Empress: and, at the Ship Point pier, a gorgeous metal gate featuring a sea otter and salmon designed by Darlene Gait. And then, of course, there are the eye-catching red-and-gold octopus umbrellas by artist, master carver and Songhees Elder Clarence “Butch” Dick.
The Greater Victoria Harbour Authority joined with the Esquimalt and Songhees Nations to create this outdoor gallery and, in the process, to tell the story of this remarkable place.
