Wolfe and the Sparrows

Located at the southwest corner of the new 12 Street Bridge in Inglewood sits a transformative sculpture offering a new perspective on how we relate to traditional monuments. Wolfe and the Sparrows at first glance reflect the commemoration of a historical figure. Upon closer inspection, there is a flock of sparrows distorting the image up from the shoulders to the head.

The concept for Wolfe and the Sparrows was derived from a three-month collaborative process with the citizens of the Inglewood and local artist Brandon Vickerd. It challenges us to expand our understanding of the past by exploring how our ideas of nationhood evolved reflecting in our evolving culture.

 The artist based his unique sculpture on the 110-year-old bronze statue of Gen. James Wolfe located in a small park on Wolfe Street in Mount Royal. The Wolfe and the Sparrows sculpture was locally fabricated in Calgary by Bronzart Casting Ltd.

Brandon then added components that the Inglewood population really wanted to see, a historical reflection of the community’s architecture with critical, challenging and funny elements. Inglewood residents wanted it to view a sense of history in terms of community and to delve deeper into Calgary's past, exploring the relationship between settlers and Indigenous peoples.

This is really a wonderful piece of public art that one should visit. A historic Canadian reflection of the British Army’s victory over the French during the battle of the Plains of Abraham in 1759. Yet it doesn’t celebrate a specific historical figure with the facial features transforming into sparrows, a bird species native to England, General Wolfe’s place of birth and indicating our country’s origins. Visit the General in the historic and progressive Inglewood.