The first Eagles in the City sculpture for the Gibsons Lions Club will be unveiled on Saturday afternoon.
The eagle sculpture was painted by local artist Greta Guzek. It will be unveiled by Gibsons Mayor Barry Janyk at 3 p.m. at Sunnycrest Mall and will remain on display until April 2010.
Eagles in the City is the third chapter in the Lions Society's trilogy of public art projects, which follows the success of Orcas in the City in 2004 and Spirit Bears in the City in 2006 - all of which help to raise money for families and children in B.C. including Easter Seals camps, Easter Seals houses, Easter Seals buses and patient care grants.
Another 120 eagle sculptures will be placed in prominent public locations around B.C. as they are completed. Leading and upcoming B.C. artists will turn each of the two-metre fiberglass sculptures into unique art pieces on behalf of their patrons.
One by one, all of the eagles will be put on public display throughout 2009 and for the first months of 2010. They will then be sold at auction in the spring of 2010.
Saturday's unveiling is the second one for the Coast. In December the Sechelt Lions Club unveiled a sculpture which is now on display near the Spirit Square and the Sechelt Aquatic Centre.
"We are thrilled with the response from the Gibsons Lions and believe through their sponsorship we will help drive tourism as well as put smiles on thousands of kids' faces that come to see the eagle," said Stephen Miller, president and CEO of Easter Seals and the B.C. Lions Society. "It's a win-win situation because these eagle sculptures will help us raise funds for our various children's initiatives as the orcas and spirit bears did, while also providing our sponsors with an unparalleled opportunity for exposure throughout the province."
More information and sponsorship details are available at www.eaglesinthecity.com.
