First Bronze Poured for the Armine Nutting Gosling Statue

As anticipation mounts for the unveiling of the Armine Nutting Gosling statue in Bannerman Park on June 18th, leadership donors to the #RaiseHerUp campaign gathered at the Newfoundland Bronze Foundry to observe the fascinating bronze process. 
The group received an overview of operations at the foundry, enjoyed a luncheon prepared by Barding House Cookery, watched the first pour of bronze, and the opportunity to watch this exciting milestone first-hand.
Following opening remarks from project chair Dr. Margot Duley and a safety briefing from PerSIStence producing artistic director Jenn Deon, visitors gathered around the working area to watch the pour. 
With the group observing in silence to avoid any distractions, the Newfoundland Bronze Foundry staff began handling the molten metal; their coordinated movements showed skill and confidence. 
The demonstration was a complete success, and those observing - when given the okay from the safety team - erupted into applause and cheers.

Artist Sheila Coultas pours molten bronze into the molds.

This bronze pouring is one of the final steps of artist Sheila Coultas’ complex journey since joining the project in 2020. 
First she created the miniature clay maquette, a concept model which was displayed at the project launch in 2022. 
Next Coultas sculpted a full-size clay statue, from which a silicone mold was made to create a wax model which was cut into pieces to create ceramic molds of each part of the statue individually - 45 parts in all! 
Finally, the bronze was heated to over 1800°F and poured into the ceramic molds, starting with Armine Nutting Gosling’s iconic button boots.

The first piece of the statue, Armine Nutting Gosling’s right boot, cast in bronze and surrounded by the remains of the mold.

“I’ve got to say how appropriate this is,” commented project chair Dr. Margot Duley, “because one of Armine Nutting Gosling’s famous sayings was that the vote was ‘a stepping stone to greater things.’"
“And here’s her boot!”

Artist Sheila Coultas (left) is presented with a flower arrangement featuring the suffragist colours by project chair Dr. Margot Duley (center) and PerSIStence producing artistic director Jenn Deon (right).

PerSIStence Theatre thanks the team at The Newfoundland Bronze Foundry for this exciting demonstration. An unveiling ceremony of the final statue will be held in Bannerman Park on June 18th, inviting all community members to celebrate the completion of the Armine Nutting Gosling statue, which will be the first statue of a named woman in the city and the first public sculpture designed by a woman in the province.