This project has, as its goal, the establishment of a new monument to our Kobzar in the heart of Canada - its capital Ottawa.

The Ottawa monument was created by world-renowned Ukrainian-Canadian sculptor Leo Mol. His full name - Leonid Hryhorovych Molodozhanyn.

The Composition of the Monument. The central bronze monument shows a young, standing Taras Shevchenko surrounded by artistic creations from his poetry. Taras is in full stature, dressed in a long coat, which was a standard in the era of the poet and writer. In his left hand Shevchenko is holding a palette and three paint brushes.

The figure is looking into the distance. The height of the sculpture is 3 metres, its weight - 630 kilograms.

There are three bas-relief figures complementing the composition - Haydamaky (1.2 m, 163 kg), Kateryna with child (1.2 m, 163 kg) and Banduryst (1.2 m., 156 kg).

An ideal site has been selected for the monument by the Organizing Committee and the work of the Committee is proceeding on this site. The site is next to one of the busiest streets in Ottawa (Baseline Road), near the Rideau River (a symbolical reminder of the Dnipro River), can accommodate large gatherings of people with land space and parking, and is free from future development. The site is adjacent to a city park and, most importantly, touches on the beautiful Ukrainian Shrine of St. John the Baptist.

This site was selected not only for the above physical features, but because the location was within the jurisdiction of the church.

This helped substantially to eliminate such bureaucratic issues as getting the rights and permit from the City of Ottawa for erecting the monument.

Transportation and erection of the monument is being coordinated by an Organizing Committee chaired by Orest Dubas.

If you want to know more about this project and to become a donor please visit the website http://www.infoukes.com/tarasinottawa

Download the poster of the project