Goose Garden by Heather Morigeau is a floating fiberglass sculpture, custom painted to resemble a Canada goose. This whimsical and larger-than-life temporary art display is located in the lagoon near the Jaipur Pedestrian Bridge at Prince's Island Park where geese raise their offspring each spring.

The nest surrounding the goose includes aquatic plants native to the region, known for their water purifying properties and often used in traditional Indigenous weaving and medicine.

Goose Garden reminds us that we share our urban space with our wildlife and that we're responsible for protecting their ecosystems and nesting sites for our mutual benefit. The artwork will be on display until September 2023. 

Heather Morigeau (they/she) is a Two Spirit, Indigenous artist currently residing in Mohkinstsis. Their heritage is Cree, Red River Métis, Ktunaxa Nation, as well as French, Celtic and German settler ancestry.

Heather Morigeau was born and raised in Red Deer Alberta. Their work and education has taken them across Canada, ranging from jewelry design to permaculture. They are the founder of FoodScape Calgary, an Indigenous-led social enterprise that creates beautiful landscapes that are naturally low-maintenance ecosystems, replacing high-maintenance lawns and gardens.

Heather’s current projects include a focus on Social Permaculture; building better systems and creating events to support the personal talents that enable social and community healing.

This project was funded through 2020 public art microgrants which supported artists impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. We invited Calgary and area artists to submit their project ideas to create art in public spaces. Professional artists of all experience levels were encouraged to partner with community associations, businesses or private landowners to explore any form of public art in any part of the city.

The successful artists were asked to consider three things:

• Connection to place: How does your artistic idea connect to the location and its history?
• Engaging the community: How is your artwork connected to the community and the people in it?
• Fostering dialogue: How will your artwork create dialogue about diversity, empathy, accessibility, equality, social justice and/or the environment, as well as Indigenous history and creating a path towards reconciliation?