‘It’s very disrespectful’: Second bronze statue within 2 weeks goes missing in Edmonton

A bronze sculpture of a child has been stolen from a Windermere park, after a statue of Emily Murphy also went missing. Amanda Anderson reports.

Another public statue in Edmonton has gone missing, this time in the Windermere area.

A pair of feet is all that remains of a bronze sculpture of a child standing in the centre of Ambleside Park. The kneeling boy and dog that are also part of the artwork were left untouched.

Two weeks ago, a statue of women’s rights activist Emily Murph vanished from its namesake park. That statue was also cut at the ankles.

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The Edmonton Arts Council (EAC), who maintains the Emily Murphy sculpture but doesn’t own the one in Ambleside, says it’s frustrating to see something artists have worked hard on disappear. EAC director of public art, David Turnbull, says plaques and medallions have also gone missing.

“The work that artists do, that they put into creating these works of art for the enjoyment of other people in the public realm – I mean, that’s why they’re there,” said Turnbull.

“They add to the flavour of the communities. They add to the vitality of our city.”

He says the statues being taken had to be planned out and coordinated, given the weight of the artworks.

CTV News reached out to Edmonton Police Service and the city but neither confirmed whether the statue was stolen or removed for some other reason.

Natalia Lemets walks through Ambleside Park regularly and says the little girl that used to stand in the park has been there the past seven years since she’s lived there.

“It’s awful, it’s very disrespectful,” she said.

The EAC says its working with police and the city to ensure a closer eye is kept on the remaining bronze sculptures throughout the city.

With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Amanda Anderson