N.L. artist to create Terry Fox statue
Newfoundland artist Luben Boykov has been selected to create a Terry Fox statue at the site in St. John’s where Fox dipped his artificial leg in the ocean to start his Marathon of Hope in 1980.
Federal Environment Minister John Baird announced the decision in a news release Monday.
In September, the federal government announced it would contribute $250,000 to create a statue at the Terry Fox Mile 0 Memorial Site. The City of St. John’s had already announced it would contribute $50,000.
St. John’s, in association with Parks Canada, the St. John’s Port Authority and the Terry Fox family, issued a request for proposals to local artists, arts groups and the local media on Oct. 29. They also formed a selection committee.
In addition to the statue, improvements planned for the memorial site include landscaping, interpretive signage, and a Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada plaque commemorating Terry Fox as a person of national historic significance.
Boykov was born in Sofia, Bulgaria, in 1960, and moved to Newfoundland in 1990. After eight years in Canada, he and his family became citizens. They live near St. John’s.
In the last few years, Boykov has completed a number of large public sculptures. In 2001, the Newfoundland and Labrador Arts Council named him artist of the year.
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