Michael Young creates Memory Wall

Memory Wall

Ian Anderson House

On Saturday 29^th November and Sunday 30^th November, Michael Young, Studio 5, attended an open house, which was arranged for the local community involved with Ian Anderson House, to introduce his commissioned work, a Memory Wall.

The commission came about as a result of an individual, who is a friend of the founder of Ian Anderson House, seeing Mike Young’s portfolio in the Williams Mill studio. He was also aware of Margaret Anderson’s interest in creating some form of memorial. He made a connection between these two circumstances and arranged an introduction.

The installation, using five granite slabs and four perforated metal panels, is located at an Oakville hospice, Ian Anderson House. This facility dedicates itself to those receiving terminal care as a result of cancer.

Mrs Margaret Anderson commissioned the wall as a way for the families to remember their loved ones. Mrs. Anderson’s husband, Ian, was a victim of cancer. She has devoted her recent years, since her husband’s death, to the mitigation of the terrible impact of terminal cancer.

The design of the wall will accommodate several hundred names. In its ten years of operation IAH has helped over 700 patients and their families.

The design is site specific. The wall, under a mature maple tree on a patch of raised ground, flanks the main part of the house and faces the resource centre at one end. Not much will grow on the land under the tree. The two main objectives of the commission required that space be provided to record the names of people who passed through IAH and, secondarily, to screen the house from the neighbour’s back yard.

One of the design challenges was to avoid interfering with the root system of the magnificent overhanging maple tree. This precluded having a continuous dug foundation due to the shallow root structure of maple. Structural stability of the wall was also a consideration. The first constraint was solved by using drilled piles as a foundation and the second, structural, consideration was addressed by the configuration of the wall. A zigzag shape on plan provided the structural rigidity.

There was a clear need for durability. Granite was the obvious solution for the stonework, with names sandblasted on. Densely grained, black granite was selected. Some inspiration was drawn from the Vietnam Wall in Washington, DC, for the use of black granite. Since a continuous foundation was not advisable, a frame to support the granite panels was developed. Another consideration was the fact that any holes in the granite could lead to cracking due the freeze /thaw cycle. Therefore the frame was developed to support the granite without any drilling of the panel.

The design for the panels incorporated the idea of a swirling pattern of maple leaves to reflect the overhanging dominant feature of the maple tree. Laser cut heavy-duty steel panels to span between frames supporting the granite was adopted as the design solution. Doris Treleaven, a metal artist from Limehouse, was consulted and eventually contracted to supply the laser cut panels and metal frames. All metal was zinc primed and finished with powder coated paint in a deep green. Simple attachment connections were developed to facilitate erection of the wall. Each granite panel weighed over 400 lb and each metal panel tipped the scales at about 150 lb. The installation of the wall took less than a full day to complete. The whole project came in below budget.

The granite panels face the resource centre and the access route to the main entrance of the house – a gentle reminder of the reality of the facility. Whereas, the maple leaf penetrations in the metal panes facing towards the house, allow the mid-day sun to shine through to where the care is provided.

The feedback from Mrs. Anderson, the many volunteers who work at Ian Anderson House, and, moreover, the families of the people already on the panels has been universally positive. A new list of names is under preparation and will be applied with sandblasting, on site, once the weather warms next spring.

Michael Young, AOCAD

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Habitat Art Auction raises over $6000.00

Cheque presentation for proceeds of Art Auction from the Williams Mill Visual Arts Centre to Habitat for Humanity Halton in the Williams Mill Gallery, Glen Williams, Ontario. (Left to Right) Mary Lou Brock, co-founder of the Williams Mill, with event organizers, artists of the Williams Mill: Marlene Madole, Carol-Ann Michaelson, Carmen Hickson, Kathrin Delutis - Executive Director of Habitat for Humanity Halton, Eileen Millen, Sheri Tenaglia, and Michael Young.

Habitat benefit auction is a huge success!!!

Tis' the season for giving and that is exactly what happened during our recent benefit auction. Over 70 works of art and home service certificates were auctioned to the highest bidders on Saturday November 8th.
The Williams Mill was transformed into a bustling complex of treasure seekers. Adrenaline was high as the dozens of bidders jostled for the best positions to get their last minute bids on paper during the silent auctions. Auction winners only had a few moments to congratulate themselves as more conquests were waiting at the next station.

Once the silent auctions were completed everyone headed into the Glass Studio to participate in the live auction hosted by our wonderful auctioneer, Joe Pettipas.

The mood was celebratory and bidders once again postitioned themselves for the best vantage point. Introductions and thank yous were announced while the crowd waited for the first item to be presented. Bidding was generous and often, just as our auctioneer had requested.

There were many new visitors to the Mill and as always our dear friends who support us in so many ways. We want to thank all of you for supporting the arts and Habitat for Humanity Halton.
We are proud to announce that over $6000.00 was raised to benefit Habitat for Humanity.
Thank you:
To the Artists of the Williams Mill for your donations of art, time, and expertise.
To all the businesses who donated home service certificates.
To Habitat for Humanity Halton for partnering with the Williams Mill.
To the Brock family for hosting the event.
To all the wonderful groups and businesses who donated food and beverages to our event.
To all the volunteers including the spouses and friends of artists and the wonderful Habitat volunteers who came to us for far afield.
To all our supporters both local and from a distance.

"Home for the Holidays" Gallery Show

A new show is now in the gallery. In conjunction with our charity event for Habitat for Humanity of Halton we are proud to present new works from the Williams Mill artists.
The show is titled "Home for the Holidays" and is designed to show how furnishings and artwork can combine to create a truly beautiful environment.
This show will continue throughout the holiday season. The Williams Mill Gallery is a wonderful place to discover the perfect gift for that special person and offers an exceptional variety of work.