 Project chair Dr. Margot Duley and artist Sheila Coultas with the full-sized clay version of the statue, February 2025 In 2020, when Jenn Deon of Persistence Theatre made contact with Morgan MacDonald of the Newfoundland Bronze Foundry to look into the possibilities of this project, she was very concerned with the symbolism of it being a woman who made the piece, and was in fact inquiring of Morgan only if he knew of any women who he thought were skilled enough and capable of doing the work.
As it turned out, I had been working with and learning from Morgan since early 2017. I can certainly see the particular fitness of a woman making this monument, this year being the 100 anniversary of women achieving the right to vote, and finally being allowed to hold public office, essentially giving them the voice they so badly needed in how they managed in their own lives, in their families, their communities, and society. After all, a society cannot thrive if half of its population is relegated to the shadows, discouraged from expressing their needs, unheard when they dared to, and not having them met, in many cases. Since then we have come a long way. Many of us do enjoy the opportunities that our male counterparts do. In all honesty, however, I did not think of Armine in terms of politics and I did not even aim to acknowledge feminism in my work. It was the natural power of the Divine Feminine that I thought of while I made an acquaintance with Armine. It was her ability to cross the usual divides of religion, class, political leanings, and the varied responsibilities of life that this beautiful island and its often harsh living conditions made requisite. Armine had a voice, in spite of all the discouragement, and she used it to help other women find the courage to use theirs. We have arguably come to a point where our accomplishments as women are acknowledged and seen alongside our male peers, as endeavours and triumphs of note are now rewarded in ways that someone like Armine could only have dreamed of when she and so many of the women of this land fought simply to be heard. I think that if we forget to be grateful for that, we cease to fight for and protect it. My own mother, Frances Ennis, for example has earned herself recognition for her work in Women’s Rights, and Adult Literacy, at both the provincial level with the Order Of Newfoundland and Labrador, and also with the Governor General’s Person’s Case Award, to speak of just a couple of her noteworthy achievements. That being the case, my sisters and I were raised to not let the barriers of the past stop us from endeavouring to make our lives as full as we could. We have all, in our different ways, found niches in which we could excel and enjoy successes our predecessors were denied. And it has been my personal endeavour to collect skills for use in art without reference to what others may have considered limitations, such as my gender, or my age. And so, in my 35th year, given the times, and the work of so many before me, I had the opportunity to avail of services like the Orientation to Trades and Technology*, subsequently choosing the trade of welding, finding it of interest as a potential art medium. It is interesting how we are guided when we listen to the promptings of fate. There were so many possibilities to choose from in skilled trades, but choosing to learn the trade of welding guided me through difficulties I had never imagined before. However, I pushed through and attained the President’s Award for Excellence on my entry level graduation, and the James Sellars’ Award, encouraging me to go on to gain my Red Seal / Journeyperson’s status. It was an important part of my life because, like so many I met on that journey, I overcame significant challenges to attain these achievements, making the success that much more poignant. There is so much to learn in the experiences offered by life, especially when we choose to step outside the bounds of the expectations set by things like gender. I often say: the magic happens on the other side of that thing we fear to do, but know is right and true. I can now tell you that working in a male-dominated industry - as the female diversity hire - is not easy. But I can also tell you that it got me to where I am, a Red Seal welder, working as a sculptor and Foundry Technician at the Newfoundland Bronze Foundry, and having been afforded an opportunity most in my circles could only dream of: being the first woman to make a full-sized bronze public statue in Newfoundland and Labrador. That it is of Armine Nutting Gosling, a woman who made it possible for me to BE the woman to depict her, makes it a perfect circle. - Sheila Coultas *The Orientation to Trades and Technology (OTT) is a 16-week program developed in conjunction with Women in Resource Development Corporation (WRDC) to give women or individuals who are gender-diverse the opportunity to explore trade and technology sectors. The program offers a safe and supportive environment for individuals to explore training programs while concurrently developing essential skills to advance their professional careers. The program aims to raise awareness of careers in the exciting, challenging, and high-paying trades and technology industries.
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The Honourable Pam Parsons, Minister Responsible for Women and Gender Equality, today announced $25,000 in funding to PerSIStence Theatre Company’s #RaiseHerUp campaign, to support the completion of a life-size bronze statue of Armine Nutting Gosling, a pioneer in social reform and feminism, who led the fight for women in Newfoundland and Labrador to achieve the right to vote. This funding is being provided in conjunction with the 100th anniversary of women achieving the right to vote and hold public office in Newfoundland and Labrador on April 3, 1925. The unveiling of the Gosling statue, designed by Newfoundland and Labrador artist Sheila Coultas, is scheduled for June 2025 at Bannerman Park. In 2023, the Provincial Government helped kickstart the #RaiseHerUp campaign with a contribution of $40,000 from the Office of Women and Gender Equality. “Armine Gosling was a trailblazer, whose unwavering determination helped secure the right to vote for women in Newfoundland and Labrador," said Minister Parsons. "This statue is a testament to her courage, resilience, and the progress the Women’s Franchise League fought for, reminding us that democracy is strongest when all voices are heard.” “We greatly appreciate the ongoing support of the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador towards raising a bronze statue of women’s suffrage leader Armine Nutting Gosling," said project chair Dr. Margot Duley. "This financial support represents a tangible and ongoing commitment to making our public history more inclusive and, on the 100th anniversary of the vote, it recognizes the importance of this transformative social movement that continues to lead our province forward.”   Recently, we sat down with artist Sheila Coultas at the Newfoundland Bronze Foundry to get an update on the progress of the statue, and learn about the process. Coultas is an artist and welder who started her journey as a textile artist. “I am passionate about work that gets me dirty and allows me to create,” says Coultas. “I love to explore new mediums and enjoy the creative energy I experience in learning how to do something new.” Something new indeed! In 2020, PerSIStence approached Coultas to become the first woman to design a piece of public sculpture in the province and the first statue of a singular, named woman in the City of St. John’s - the Armine Nutting Gosling statue. In 2022, at the project launch, we unveiled Coultas’ maquette of the statue - essentially a smaller version, carved in clay, that served as a design guide for what the full statue in bronze might look like. “We very much wanted this statue of Armine to be her “in action”, so to speak,” says PerSIStence producing artistic director and project manager Jenn Deon. “We love that Sheila’s design has Armine reaching out to ask you to sign her petition for votes for women!” For Coultas, designing a figure sculpture involved a combination of historical research and the careful study of anatomy. “The process was very enlightening,” says Coultas. “And it’s a lot of fun to figure out the musculature and shape.” Now that the design is finalized, Coultas has begun the process to make the full size statue of Armine that will be erected in Bannerman Park in 2025 - the 100th anniversary of women achieving the right to vote throughout Newfoundland. For Coultas, creating this statue has a special personal connection, as she grew up in a home where Armine Nutting Gosling was a hero. Coultas’ mother is Frances Ennis, a well-known feminist in our community who has walked a path very similar to Armine. Ennis has also dedicated her life to women’s rights, and has worked tireless with related causes such as adult literacy and anti-violence against women, work for which Ennis has been awarded the Governor General’s Award in honour of the Person’s Case, and the Order of Newfoundland and Labrador. “This project feels like a culmination of both my mother’s work and my own,” says Coultas. “It shows how these kind of things have a tendency to knit themselves together.” THE PROCESS OF CASTING IN BRONZE
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Project MembersDr. Margot Duley, chair Archives
April 2025
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St. John’s is home to a rich, diverse, and vibrant urban Indigenous community. Located on the ancestral and unceded territory of the Beothuk, the lands and waters in and around the City have traditionally served as a gathering place for the Mi’kmaq. The broader region of Newfoundland and Labrador continues to be home to diverse Indigenous Peoples, including First Nations, Inuit, and Métis. We honour and pay respect to the past, present, and future caretakers of these territories.
We also must acknowledge the labour theft extracted from people of African descent, used to build European wealth and economies globally, and in the Canadian nation state, including Newfoundland and Labrador’s shipbuilding and cod fishery industries, through the violence of trans-Atlantic enslavement.
We thank both First Light and the office of the Vice-Provost of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Anti-Racism at Memorial University for crafting and sharing these words that provide us with important perspectives.
We also must acknowledge the labour theft extracted from people of African descent, used to build European wealth and economies globally, and in the Canadian nation state, including Newfoundland and Labrador’s shipbuilding and cod fishery industries, through the violence of trans-Atlantic enslavement.
We thank both First Light and the office of the Vice-Provost of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Anti-Racism at Memorial University for crafting and sharing these words that provide us with important perspectives.
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