When you enter Downtown Pemberton there’s a small roundabout that houses an interesting piece of public art by world-renowned artist and designer Martha Sturdy. She primarily works in brass, charred cedar, resin, and steel and the piece that sits at the roundabout is made of the latter.
Born and raised in British Columbia, Martha has always been guided by the elements and the scale of nature on the West Coast. The materials she uses are bold, clean, and strong – just like the landscape she’s inspired by.
At art school she couldn’t work in the large-scale she wanted to and ended up making large wearable sculptures. These have found their way onto the covers of ELLE, Vogue, and Harper’s Bazaar. She expanded to furniture and fixture design and her clients include, Louis Vuitton, Saks, Bergdorf Goodman, Neiman Marcus, Four Seasons, and Fairmont.
So how did one of her sculptures end up on a roundabout in Pemberton? Well, her son was the Mayor of Pemberton for three terms and is now currently serving his second term as MLA for the West Vancouver-Sea to Sky region. Thanks mom!
