From the Star, by Hume:
Reflecting on the law
Feb 23, 2007 04:30 AM
Christopher Hume
Given some of the sculpture installed on the streets of Toronto, some might argue there ought to be a law against public art.
If such a law did exist, the McMurtry Gardens of Justice would be innocent until proven guilty.
The $1.8 million project, which will open next June, won't be complete for several years.
Named in honour of soon-to-retire Ontario Chief Justice Roy McMurtry, the gardens will occupy the pedestrian area on the east side of University Ave., just north of Queen St.
By the time it's finished – no one's sure exactly when – it will comprise up to 10 artworks.
The first piece to be commissioned is Edwina Sandys' Pillars of Justice.
The English artist, who also happens to be the granddaughter of Winston Churchill, created a large, 4.5-metre tall, outdoor work that feels both appropriate and accessible. It consists of a traditional classical pediment – architecturally reminiscent of a courthouse – supported by columns shaped in human form.
"There are 11 columns as opposed to the usual 12," Sandys explained at the unveiling of the maquette yesterday.
"The viewer becomes the twelfth."
In other words, justice is human, after all, not just an abstract set of ideas about which lawyers like to split legal hairs.
Sandys' sculpture is now being fabricated of steel plate in Windsor and will be officially opened in June.
"It's going to be such a great asset to Toronto," said former premier Bill Davis, who named McMurtry Ontario attorney general in 1975.
Davis also warned all those present at the Osgoode Hall event that if there were any problems completing the gardens, he would be happy to arrange for them to be moved to the courthouse in Brampton, where he lives.
Toronto Mayor David Miller, also on hand for the occasion, praised the project.
It is, he argued, "a way to remind people about justice" and an opportunity to beautify the city. Toronto, he said, "is undergoing a renaissance."
Indeed, just last Tuesday, the submissions of the four finalists in the competition to redesign Nathan Phillips Square went on display at City Hall. Though the Justice Gardens and the civic square occupy different sites, the one leads directly to the other.
Eventually, the gardens will extend from University east to the edge of Nathan Phillips Square. Both form part of the designated civic precinct of the city and the heart of Toronto. But it is an area that has suffered a certain amount of neglect in recent years and could use some attention.
The $40 million Nathan Phillips redesign, which was launched last year, is the most visible sign yet that city council recognizes that the deterioration must be stopped.
Still, neither the province, which owns the land the gardens will occupy, nor the city have contributed funds to the project. Instead, organizers have had to rely on the generosity of private donors and the legal industry. So far, they have raised half the $1.8 million required.
After that, the organizers' big task will be to find another eight or nine artworks that address the issues of justice.
"Getting great pieces won't be easy," admitted Seymour Epstein, lawyer and chair of the Law Gardens Inc.
"We looked around and found very little art relating to justice. We have to develop a list of themes and set up a selection committee."
As for the man himself, McMurtry seemed alternately overwhelmed and bemused. Naturally, he was "honoured" not surprisingly, it was a day he "will never forget." And, as an enthusiastic Sunday painter, he's well aware of the allure of the visual arts.
Unlike justice, which is blind, art always has its eyes wide open.
AoD