Stewart Steinhauer sculptures unveiled at Okanagan College

Okanagan College has unveiled two new granite bear sculptures by acclaimed Cree artist Stewart Steinhauer at its Kelowna and Penticton campuses.

The sculpture at the Kelowna campus, titled ‘Senklip and Ki Low Na’, depicts a bear mother with three cubs. The work is informed by Steinhauer’s 25 years of living within Syilx territory. A second piece, ‘Spirit of the Mountain Grizzly’, featuring a single grizzly bear, was installed at the Penticton campus this summer.

Steinhauer, who hails from the Saddle Lake Cree Nation in Alberta, describes granite carving as a ceremonial practice. His works are part of his ‘Bear Family Series’ and aim to share Indigenous stories and teachings through stone.