Arts editor
The statue was nowhere to be found this September. Instead, its home in the Joan Goldfarb Centre for Fine Arts was empty, leading some to believe the horse was put down before its time.
However, manager of facilities, health, and safety Terry Wright of the Faculty of Fine Arts says the statue has only been temporarily relocated.
“He’s in safekeeping,” confirms Wright. “He’s in the Fireside Lounge which is in the main lobby of the [Centre for Film and Theatre], but eventually he’ll ride into the main lobby.”
Wright says the faculty initially decided to move the statue when construction for the new Starbucks location was underway, but decided to extend the relocation due to the potential traffic in the area.
“We’re basically just watching, observing what the pedestrian traffic is going to be, and what the queue lines for Starbucks are going to end up as,” he explains.
The theatre department is hoping to get the statue back soon, as it bears great significance. Phillip Silver, a former dean at York, designed the statue for a play called Aspects of Love. It was displayed in the Joan Goldfarb Centre since then for its significance post-production.
“It certainly adds a sense of playfulness to the lobby,” comments Wright.
The rocking horse statue will return in the next few weeks, either in its original spot, or in the lobby of the Joan Goldfarb Centre.
