Weeping Cedar Woman
To continue this walk, cross Campbell Street at Second Street to arrive at the Roy Henry Vickers Gallery.
Weeping Cedar Woman is what artist Godfrey Stephens calls a “protest sculpture”. An icon of the blockades against old-growth logging on Meares Island, it stood for 17 years on Strawberry Island facing Tofino.
Stephens worked furiously with a chainsaw to carve it within two short weeks in 1984, shaping this red cedar windfall salvaged with permission.
This 16-foot tall cedar-and-copper figure underwent two restorations before being relocated to Tofino’s Village Green where she stands today.
“Leave the ancient trees alone,” Stephens reminds us. “They seed the forest, they’re venerable, they’re older than any of us.”
To learn more about Godfrey Stephens’ artwork, please visit: www.godfreysart.com
