June 8, 2009 issue
Artist’s inspiration
By Donna Lin Trinidad, Calif.I want to call attention to a sculpture, “Holodomor,” prominently featured in the Westhaven Center for the Arts at Trinidad, Calif.
The sculpture “Holodomor,” carved by John C. Wiebe from a fire-hardened myrtle-wood, remembers the starvation of 5 million to 10 million people in Ukraine in 1932-33.
The sculpture’s theme was inspired by an Oct. 6 MWR article, “Ukraine’s Harvest of Despair,” by Walter Sawatsky.
The abstract representation was carved by John C. Wiebe from a fire-hardened myrtle-wood stump, rescued from a burn pile in the Yolla Bolly Mountains east of Trinidad.
Wiebe’s sculptures have gained considerable attention in this coastal community. He has suggested the work might be appropriate for display in a Mennonite museum or a college library and would welcome any suggestions.
The sculpture evokes the tragic plight of refugees in many lands. The Ukrainian term “Holodomore” refers to the Stalinist purge of 1932-33 when immense starvation occurred in Ukraine.
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