A piece of history has returned to downtown Elora through a new sculpture made from pieces of the demolished Badley Bridge.
The recently-installed gateway feature on the south side of the Badley Bridge was a collaborative effort between artists Jo-Anne Harder and Walter Gibson along with the community.
Harder said there was a previous gateway feature proposal the public was unhappy with which led to a committee being formed to judge other concepts.
She said she has been doing art with metal for more than 20 years and Gibson is known for his design work and expertise with drawing.
The pair were invited to submit an idea which was accepted by the committee and then the county.
They then moved ahead to work on the massive technical challenges and met with engineers and workers on the bridge but it was the community that influenced using pieces of the old bridge for the entirety of the piece.
“What came out of that meeting with the community was that people were wanting the history and story of the Badley Bridge and so it just became clear that using the materials that were right there being demolished would be the best way to go,” Harder said.
Large sections of the old bridge were cut and trucked to Gordon Grose of Summit Laser in Salem.
Harder credits Grose for playing a huge role by providing the technical expertise to engineer the whole piece to the right scale from a welded model.
“And it was all sitting on his property all this time while we were waiting for the bridge to be completed,” Harder said.
Using the material from the old bridge is a nod to the past but Harder said the sculpture itself has a contemporary feel through changing the orientation of some pieces.
“We just flipped it in some ways and then added pieces that made for a satisfying design and has a nod to the future as well in acknowledging Elora is full of artists and innovators,” Harder said.
Harder said she’s heard lots of positive feedback but said thoughtful criticism is always a welcome alternative to no discussion at all.
“So if it generates and evokes conversation that is really good,” Harder said. “The congratulations belongs to this community who actually made it happen.”
