By Pam Wright
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Russell the Crow is no longer perched in downtown Chatham.
The 13-foot-tall carving that weighs around 4,000 pounds has been removed from Zonta Park due to feedback indicating the statue carried negative racial undertones for the Black community.
But that’s not going to stop the municipality from going ahead with a program to install other chainsaw carvings in other C-K communities next year.
“It’s a minor setback,” Mayor Darrin Canniff told The Voice. “There’s no reason to not go ahead with the original program. We’ll put the proper filters in place and in the spring, we’ll be rolling the carvings out again.
“Public art is meant to draw out emotions,” he added. “We want to move on and create some amazing art for Chatham-Kent.”
C-K communications manager Eric Labadie said the Russell the Crow glitch is a “lesson learned.”
“It’s a learning opportunity for us and all involved,” Labadie explained. “Public art and art in general is subjective and we want to make sure that in the future we are consulting with community groups. We’re lucky to have good relationships with community members and groups.”
According to Labadie, complaints about the crow began shortly after the sculpture was installed.
“Since we put the statute up in October, we started hearing feedback about it,” Labadie said. “It’s not the best fit for that park, which is part of Chatham’s historic Black neighbourhood. Some members of the Black community have expressed concerns.”
The shiny black barrel-chested bird with wings outstretched towards the sky sports a large, heavy chain around its neck with a medallion carrying the initials RC.
Online on social media, criticism of the crow was pointed.
“Really, a cartoonish statute of a Black crow festooned with Bling!” Jean-Patrice DesCouteaux wrote.
April Colby wrote, “It doesn’t matter that we have crows flying over Chatham-Kent (and also, I don’t know whose choice it was to base our whole municipality’s identity on a pest, but here we are). If the statute was more realistic, or less cartoon like, the thought wouldn’t have crossed my mind at all. Call me racist all you want for making the jump, but the first second I saw it, all I could of was the Disney crows, which have been seen as insensitive for years.”
But many others chimed in saying it wasn’t racist at all, stating those claiming racism are acting as victims.
“I can’t believe a crow statute is now considered racist,” wrote Britney Anne. “No one had bad intentions behind this, you guys went looking for issues. STOP.”
Some of the carving’s online critics linked Russell the Crow to Jim Crow, the name for laws in the United States that mandated segregation in public spaces, denying African Americans the right to vote, hold jobs and receive an education.
Those who challenged Jim Crow laws faced jail, violence and even death. The last Jim Crow laws were generally overturned in 1965.
The sculpture, carved by Bothwell chainsaw sculptor Mike Winia, was crafted from a massive white oak. It was unveiled to much fanfare at a ceremony at the King Street Park.
According to Winia, the sculpture was modelled after the crow mascot for Chatham-Kent’s annual Crowfest, celebrating the bird that routinely blankets the skies of C-K and is known to be a nuisance to farmers and urban dwellers alike.
Paid for out of a Hydro One Community Fund at no cost to the taxpayer, the $15,000 carving has been returned to the artist.
