Haruko Okano. Community Participatory Public Art 5

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2007 Rivers & Ties Rivers & Ties, 2007
The 10th. Anniversary of the Roundhouse Arts & Recreation Centre, Vancouver, BC, Canada
Medium: organic and eco- friendly materials Dimension: Site specific walkway from the Roundhouse to False Creek Purpose: The 10th. anniversary celebrations a 1 day event
Community developed public art included 3 artists as facilitators: Haruko Okano, Glen Andersen and Connie Sabo. The design of public engagement was created by Haruko Okano. Community engagement was at all stages of the public event from creating with flower petals and leaves on the rocks of False Creek to workshops for making whirligigs and laying patterns using flower petals and sawdust along the walkway leading from the Roundhouse to the water. 10 boats, each representing a year were made of willow, flowers and stone. These were given out to the public at the end of the day.

2007 The Wish Fulfilling Tree The Wish Fulfilling Tree, 2007
Medium: Mixed Media Public Art Dimension: Site specific, Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver, BC
The Wish Fulfilling Tree is the location of the children’s burial ground where in the earlier days over 1000 children were buried here with no means of identification. The current director of the cemetery than re modelled the area with a dry creek bed where parents could come and have one of the creek stones engraved with the name of their dead child's name.
The annual Night Honouring the Dead event brings in artists to create installations in various areas throughout the cemetery. Unlike Hallowe’en this event allows community to remember those who have passed away, in a respectful evening where they can participate in creating votive offerings, candles and messages.
The Wish Fulfilling Tree was left up an extra week past the event as community wished to add more messages to the cradles. At the end of the 2 weeks, over 60 messages in several different languages were tied to the cradles.

Galleria Copyright (C) 2008 David Hellsing _ © Copyright Haruko Okano 2011