The Migrants

The sculpture is a direct response to the arrival of the International Style of Architecture in Edmonton. It was unveiled in June of 1957 directly in front of the new City Hall building that opened the same year. Its freeform, abstract shape and colourfully-lit fountain waters stood as a prominent counterpoint to the unadorned modernist building. The artist and two assistants produced the individual pieces in Vancouver before assembling the 20-foot high sculpture on site in Edmonton. 

Inspired by Canada Geese, the artist made sketches of the birds at Stanley Park over several days. The three-dimensional drawing of bronze tubes depicts a flock of nine abstracted geese. Five standing and four flying geese symbolize Edmonton as a destination for progress and as the aviation gateway to the North, while paying homage to the city’s history and the immigrants who played a role in building the city.

The need to inform the public about the source of inspiration and its link to the site became evident after several weeks of controversy. Following the unveiling, the sculpture appeared in photos and major articles on the front page of the Edmonton Journal, as well as in the ​“Letter Box”. Citizens felt the sculpture was a waste, citing their inability to recognize the supposed subject of the sculpture and the extravagant use of public money.

When it was incorporated into the new building, the infamy surrounding the sculpture was all but forgotten. 

“Although it wasn’t popular in its early days, over time it came to find its place, and when the new city hall was built hundreds of citizens called to demand it be incorporated into the new design,” wrote Lawrence Herzog in his article ​‘Edmonton’s 1957 City Hall’.

The only hint of its troubled past is the lingering nickname that it received from a radio station after it became the subject of a spoof song called The Spaghetti Tree.