Pontiac’s very own John-Philippe Smith was chosen as Canada’s new Dominion Sculptor in 2021
Only six people have held the title before him since the role was created in 1936. His successor, Phil White, recently retired after 15 years at the job. As Parliament official carver, Smith supervises all carving in Centre Block and the Parliamentary Precinct.
Growing up in Bristol, on his parent’s farm, Smith went on to study at Algonquin College and at France’s Atelier Jean-Loup Bouvier, which evidently brought him to where he is now.
From a very young age, Smith noted that he was exposed to art in his home, be it the art books in his mother’s library, seeing his father sculpt and his mother paint, he grew to be interested in it.
“It’s a passion for him, to draw and to create,” said his mother, Danielle Côté Smith, a retired teacher.
He was a determined person, she explained. When he starts something he not only sees it to fruition but he does it well, “he is a perfectionist,” said his mother.
At the time when Smith was graduating and computers were all the rage, he looked for secure employment and got into sales, and stopped studying art for some time.
Working in the big office buildings in downtown Toronto, and having to commute for long hours just to sit at a cubicle made Smith homesick for his hometown in the Pontiac. Itching to get out of a desk job, and looking for a change, Smith explained “that’s when I looked into becoming a stonemason.”
The program in Perth was focused on heritage masonry and ticked all the boxes. “I can do a trade that has an artistic component to it, like stone cutting, stone carving and it was in a small little community that is close to where I grew up. So I just went for it,” he said.
As the dominion sculptor, his role involves overseeing the decorative arts program for the parliamentary precinct, which entails looking after sculptural and ornamental work that is created in stone, wood, plaster, ornamental metalwork, that is fixed offset. A big part of his job is also maintenance, ensuring that pieces are properly cared for and conserved and when any repairs are needed they are done.
His mother recalled when he told her he got the job, and said he was very humble and isnt the type to brag. “As usual when he starts something he goes right to the end,” she said with greatpride in her voice.
The vision of the original architect for Centre Block was to leave blocks for future carvings and that over time the different carvers could tell the story of Canada, explained Smith. Over the past few years thousands of blocks have been carved and there are currently 188 left.
“By virtue of the Centre Block project, we have an amazing opportunity now in the next 10 years to really have access to blocks and work on some of them while the building is empty and under renovation,” he said.
Being a Dominion sculptor has been a great honor to Smith, he takes this position seriously and the responsibility to continue the work that began decades ago, and look at new themes to explore within the sculptor program, he noted.
“It’s really exciting, and there’s a lot to consider.”
After learning about a one-year program that allows young people from the ages of 18 to 35 to work abroad on a one-year visa, Smith took that chance to go to France and try to work with some of Europe’s top stone carvers. On the top of his list was Atelier Jean-Loup Bouvier, “I was lucky enough to run into them at the Cathedral in Notre-Dame and they offered me a job after seeing my portfolio.”
Being in France, Smith noted that the trade was healthy and nurturing and that there was so much knowledge that’s been passed down from generation to generation, for him being able to tap into that is what made the experience “amazing” said Smith.
“I was very intimidated, I was working with sculptors that had been working for 40 years.”
He was able to observe and walk away with a myriad of tips and tricks that allow him to apply it to his work today.
After having been carving for almost 10 years with different carvers all over Canada he mentioned being in France allowed him to elevate his skill. Coming back after the one-year program, Smith said it brought him to the next level and it allowed him to see the sculpted architecture in Canada through a different lens, which closely ties to Europe, explained Smith.
When working on a piece that is 150 years old, Smith remarked that as a sculptor you are locked into a specific style and interim trying to emulate the original work of that sculptor. Personally, he said that he enjoys doing portraits, clay sculpting and working with foliage.
After spending time in France, he saw the power of passing on skills and knowledge to other sculptors and for Smith he wanted to continue that here in Canada to help secure the sculptor program, and “to ensure that the trade remains healthy in Canada,” he said.
His focus right now is the next 10 years and working on the restoration needs in Centre Block and that he is excited for the work he is doing around maintenance and preservation and the opportunity to create new work. “That’s going to be really special to continue the tradition of telling the story of Canada through those blocks.
