The Sculpture and its Artist
Freedom of Expression is a bronze and stainless steel sculpture created by Marlene Hilton Moore. Hilton Moore is a renowned artist based in Hillsdale, Ontario. She has created public art and hosted art exhibitions in Ontario, Quebec, and New Brunswick. She is also responsible for the Freedom of Religion statue that faces this one. These two pieces, along with Equal Before the Law, were added to the Gardens in 2012.
The statue depicts a female figure delivering a speech with her arms open wide, holding a book in one hand. The figure stands on a black-brown base of granite, determined to communicate her message. The use of Canadian granite reminds us that the law is grounded in the land of our country.
Both of Hilton Moore’s pieces use bronze, which is usually associated with classical sculpture, and stainless steel, which we see in contemporary art and architecture. Why do you think the artist used these two materials? What is she trying to convey?
Freedom of expression is one of the “fundamental freedoms” that is guaranteed under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Fundamental freedoms are the most basic rights that everyone in Canada shares: the right to freedom of conscience and religion, freedom of thought and expression, freedom of peaceful assembly, and freedom of association. The other rights guaranteed by the Charter include democratic rights, mobility rights, legal process rights, equality rights, and language rights.
Our freedom of expression is protected by section 2(b) of the Charter. It includes freedom of thought, belief, and opinion, and it also protects freedom of the press and other media. Anything you do, say, or create that conveys a meaning is covered by this Charter right, which shields a person from punishment by the government based on what they choose to express. Of course, it doesn’t prevent anyone else from disagreeing loudly with the ideas you express!
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