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Margaret Atwood is one of Canada's most decorated citizens. She was portrayed in bronze for the Canadian Geographic Society and celebrated in the exquisite headquarters of the CGS on February 9th, 2023.

Presence in Absence - Ruth Abernethy's sculptures for Highway of Heroes Trees for Life Campaign

Ruth Abernethy's bronzes unveiled at the Port Hope and Trenton On Routes on November 9, 2022 represent 67 members of the Canadian military. "It's all divisions, all ethnicities and genders," says Ruth Abernethy, the sculptor. "We tried to be as broad as we could in the representation and the picking of the portraits."

The bronze portraits were created with negative space backed by awning fabric that is lit at night. The portraits have a key to locate those represented. At the unveiling in Port Hope, a military family was already seeking "their person" showing that indeed there is a powerful presence in each person's absence.

The unveiling of the sculptures represented the end of a long and very successful Trees for Life campaign that saw 2.5 million trees planted in the 401 corridor from Trenton to Keele Street in Toronto. The trees mark the passage of 158 herœs who made the trip from Trenton to Toronto in a hearse. The additional millions of carbon dioxide capturing trees also mark the volunteers who have served in the Canadian military since the War of 1812 (symbolically represented by Ruth's 67 portraits). Mark Cullen is Co-Founder and Chair of Trees for Life.

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