Celebrating the Olympic Torch Relay through Art

The Vancouver 2010 Olympic Torch Relay will visit the community of Lindsay, Ontario on December 16, 2009. To mark this day, art students from four local high schools — Lindsay Collegiate and Vocational Institute (LCVI), I.E. Weldon, St. Thomas Aquinas and Fenelon Falls — created life-sized papier mâché Olympic sport figures.

One of 189 community celebrations on the Olympic Torch Relay route, Lindsay will host a celebration using the papier mâché snowboarders, figure skaters, hockey players, freestyle skiers and curlers to decorate the stage. These figures have also been displayed at local events to promote the upcoming celebration.

Where did the idea of doing such a project — over and above the school curriculum — originate? Don Thomas, a member of the Olympic Torch Relay Community Task Force, came up with the idea. “I realized we would need something to decorate our stage and keep the Olympic theme. I thought of the sport figures and I approached the art departments of the four schools”, said Thomas. “At first, some teachers were reluctant but at my second visit into the schools, I was armed with our Mayor Ric Magee, along with roll ends of newsprint donated by the Lindsay Post, chicken wire and dowels donated by a local hardware store as well as a cheque from the task force. It worked!”

The work

This project was a technical challenge considering the life-sized aspect of the work, and each school approached the making of the figures differently. I.E. Weldon Secondary School students wrapped a willing model in chicken wire, removed all the pieces carefully and fastened all of them together with wire. Next, a layer of papier mâché was used to cover the wire and smooth the holes, then a layer of plaster bandages was modeled on the top of the papier mâché layer to achieve the finer detail.

“We actually used real skis, skates, hockey stick and jersey to obtain more realistic surfaces and shapes,” explained Lesley Drummond, head of arts at I.E. Weldon. “The figures were then coated with primer to seal any holes and an outdoor urethane for weatherproofing. The most difficult part was trying to figure out how to insert and use the pole that had to be included so the figures can be mounted on a base for easy display.”

The experience

A few of the life-sized papier mâché Olympic sport figures. (Courtesy of Don Thomas) Approximately six to 10 students from Grades 11 and 12 in each of the four schools participated in the project. They had three weeks to create the sport figures they had chosen. “Originally, each school was told to do two figures and my students were willing to wrestle to have this opportunity! They were allowed to pick the figures (sports) they wanted to do. We tried to coordinate with everyone so there was no overlap” said Drummond.

Jacob Jackson, one of the students that participated in the project, was the first at LCVI to express his interest and enthusiasm in doing something beyond the school curriculum. “What I loved most in this project was working with my partner Mike Wills, sharing our ideas as well as surpassing boundaries we faced. The biggest challenge was weight distribution because the figure was heavy as it was inverted. There were also time issues because it was taking longer than expected and we had a lot of ideas we wish we could have had time to apply,” explained Jackson.

Now a student in multimedia design at Durham College and a fan of snowboard, bobsleigh, curling and ice sledge hockey, Jackson is thrilled that his community will be a part of the Olympic Torch Relay and looks forward to the event. “When you think of Lindsay, you certainly don’t think of any major events taking place here. The opportunity is overwhelming and many people, including myself, can’t wait!” he continued.

“We got to work with some cool material like plaster to make it look as real as possible. It was not easy recreating exact body positions, especially out of chicken wire and attaching them together. This took a lot of re-working and re-placing our chicken wire limbs”, said Megan Pilat, a student at I.E. Weldon. “I’m really excited for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games and the torch relay’s visit in Lindsay. It’s super awesome to be a part of such a huge event!”

A rewarding project

The figures were unveiled on the lawn of the Lindsay City Hall in June 2009 and the community has been quite impressed with the work. “The students did an excellent job and it’s nice to see that recognized,” said Community Task Force chair Gord James.

“I really wanted to tap into the talent of our local kids and get them revved up for the arrival of the Olympic Flame. It was really rewarding to see the interest, enthusiasm and talent of the students when they presented the figures at City Hall,” said Thomas.
Drummond is ready for another shot. “If the mayor kicks in a bit more plaster money, I’m sure we could farm out the job of doing some Paralympic figures to the new students this year!”

Check out the Lindsay Celebration Community Facebook Page!