Kent Monkman debuts beaver sculpture in Toronto’s ambitious new waterfront park

TORONTO — Cree artist Kent Monkman has unveiled his first public art installation, a 15-foot-high bronze sculpture named "The Colony." This striking piece, set to debut on Wednesday in Toronto's east end, depicts beavers dancing, feasting, and celebrating, drawing inspiration from Indigenous ceremonies. The sculpture, located in Biidsaasige Park along the Lassonde Art Trail, highlights the beavers' significance in natural, Indigenous, and colonial histories of Turtle Island.

Monkman, a member of the Fisher River Cree Nation and an interdisciplinary artist, chose this site along the Don River and Lake Ontario, a critical waterway for First Nations for thousands of years. He expressed his delight at the location, stating that it would be "a better place for these beavers, inspired by 18th-century engravings, to gather in a ceremonial feast, celebrating our world views, honouring the water, and continuing our traditions of relaying knowledge through songs and stories."

Monkman's work, which includes classical painting, film, and performance, is held in prestigious collections such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Smithsonian American Art Museum.