What is the Spirit Catcher?

The artist, Ron Baird graduated from the Ontario College of Art in 1964 and since that time has established himself as one of Canada’s foremost sculptors. His steel sculptures can be found in corporate, government and private collections across Canada.

Baird was one of nine sculptors invited to submit proposals for Expo ‘86 and was one of two sculptors chosen. The theme of Expo ‘86 was Transportation and Communication. The image of the “Spirit Catcher” was inspired by the west coast location and the Thunderbird of First Nations’ mythology.  The Thunderbird is the messenger who carries our dreams and desires to the Creator. The artist thought of his sculpture as a spiritual antenna.

The “Spirit Catcher” is made of Corten steel. When this kind of steel rusts, the rust does not flake off and the steel retains its structural integrity.  The artist deliberately rusted the metal for aesthetic reasons.  The sculpture measures 70 by 65 feet (21 metres high) and has 16 kinetic quills, 2 wings, 3 legs and a pair of kinetic antennae.  The original quills were embellished with stainless steel epaulets. The 20 tonne steel sculpture took 6 months to make and was installed at False Creek in Vancouver, British Columbia in the late fall of 1985.

After Expo ’86, the sculpture was purchased by the Helen McCrea Peacock Foundation (Toronto).  The Foundation then donated the sculpture, in memory of Helen McCrea Peacock and Kenneth Westrup, to the “Barrie Gallery Project” as inspiration to create a public art gallery in the City of Barrie. The sculpture made the trip to Barrie on two flatbed trucks and was installed by Baird, with the assistance of William Moore, several volunteers, and two very large cranes on the weekend of June 12th and 13th, 1987.

The City of Barrie provided the waterfront site at the base of Maple Street and continues to maintain the grounds. The site chosen was near the location of a trading post on the Nine Mile Portage. Legend has it that First Nations traders were treated unfairly by the manager of the trading post and an elder cursed the site. When the “Spirit Catcher” was dedicated on September 12, 1987 the site was blessed with the burning of sweet grass and a performance by the Rama Native Drum Group to remove the ‘curse’. 

Several months after the sculpture was installed in Barrie, the gusting and unpredictable winds off Kempenfelt Bay caused concern that the quills might fall off, so a trio of structural and aeronautical engineers from DeHavailland Aircraft of Canada were consulted to help redesign the quills. A model of the sculpture was placed in a wind tunnel to ensure the structural integrity.  The new quills are a slightly different shape and do not have stainless steel epaulets; the antennae were also redesigned.

The following year an interim gallery space opened at 17c Mulcaster Street in downtown Barrie.  In May, 1990 it was changed to the MacLarenArtCentre after Maurice MacLaren bequeathed his art collection and his home at 147 Toronto Street to the “Barrie Gallery Project”. 

The “Spirit Catcher” was the first work in the MacLaren’s permanent collection and is still the largest piece.  Over the years, the landmark sculpture has become the public symbol for the City of Barrie.

Any party wishing to reproduce an image of the Spirit Catcher in any way, must first seek authorization from the MacLarenArtCentre and the artist Ron Baird.  Please contact the MacLaren directly requesting permission at 705-721-9696 or email maclaren@maclarenart.com

Failure to do so could result in legal action. 

Thank You.

Photography by Andre Beneteau.