When Whistler artist Christina Nick was commissioned by the Whistler Museum and Archives Society in 2012 to create a sculpture of local legend Seppo Makinen at Lost Lake Park in 2012, she was promised that the municipality would install outdoor lighting as part of the artwork’s original design.
Twelve years later, she’s still waiting for the lights to shine.
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“Twelve years have passed, and the lighting has yet to be installed. As a result, most residents of Whistler have never noticed the sculpture, as it remains virtually invisible without proper illumination. I kindly request that the sculpture be backlit to ensure it is visible at night,” she wrote in a letter to the Whistler council.
Nick told the Whistler Daily Post that the lighting was a key part of her discussions with the Museum, the Municipality, and herself. She even added a welded steel ledge to the back of the sculpture specifically for an outdoor spotlight.
“The metal ledge I added on the back of the memorial sculpture can be used to attach an outdoor spotlight that is strong enough to illuminate the piece from behind, as was planned in 2012. There are holes cut into the metal plate where bolts can be attached to it and the light’s base,” she says.
Museum director Paul Fournier contacted the RMOW, and Nick also spoke to Councillor Cathy Jewett in 2022, but the lighting wasn’t installed. Now, she has again written a letter and plans to address the council in person. She says the sculpture is set too far back and overshadowed by nearby trees. Proper lighting would make it visible in the evenings and attract more attention during the day.
“The sculpture was placed in an area that does not get very much attention. In my opinion, it is set too far back and is very close to a bushy area with trees that overpower it,” she says.
She assumed the lighting would be installed during park renovations, but it never happened. “The municipal workers did a nice job on the grass and stones leading up to the sculpture, but the light was never added,” she lamented.
Nick is urging the RMOW to fulfill their 12-year-old promise and let Seppo shine.
DJ Arnst says
Let Seppo shine! My hubby had his Stage at Seppo’s & his Sister got married in his Cabin!!
PLEASE LET SEPPO SHINE BRIGHTLY!!