Lögberg-Heimskringla - 10.03.2006, Side 2

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Diane Palmason
Donations are being sought to help support a new sculpture com-
memorating Icelandic fishermen
and their families in Blaine, WA.
The sculptor is Robert McDer-
mott.
What was it about the area
around Blaine, now a small city
tucked in the northwest corner of
Washington State, that attracted
so many Icelandic immigrants
in the late nineteenth and early
twentieth centuries?
It is true that the scenery is
wonderfully varied. To the west
is the harbour leading out to
Puget Sound and the Straits of
Juna de Fuca. Directly north are
the peaks of the Coast Moun-
tains around Vancouver, BC.
To the east, rolling hills lead to
the Cascade Mountains, and the
crowning peak of Mt. Baker,
snowcapped year-round. To the
south lie more harbours fed by
the creeks and rivers that are the
spawning grounds for many vari-
eties of Pacific salmon. Perhaps
it was the proximity of ocean
waters and mountain streams
that made them feel at home.
Or maybe it was the climate
— relatively mild in comparison
with the cold, snowy plains of
Manitoba and North Dakota, the
initial destinations of so many of
those immigrants.
Whatever it was, they soon
found that one of the best ways
of surviving and thriving was to
take advantage of the abundant
marine life off shore. So it was
that fishermen of Icelandic de-
scent became major contributors
to the growth and development
of Blaine.
A century or more later
sculptor Robert McDermott, a
newcomer to Blaine, learned
about this early history of his
new hometown. At an early age,
McDermott had become fas-
cinated with the power of life-
size sculpture to touch its view-
ers. Now he wondered what he
could create that would capture
the strength and spirit of those
early settlers.
His first thoughts were of
the fishermen themselves, but
they would tell only a part of the
story. What about the women
and children who remained on
shore as the men in their fami-
lies headed out to sea?
The concept of “The Vigil”
was born.
A miniature, or maquette,
which McDermott presented
to members of Blaine’s Icelan-
dic Heritage Society in March,
2005, showed three figures: the
wife, the mother, and the son
of an absent fisherman. They
are standing together, with the
women gazing out over the har-
bour while the boy, holding his
pet dog, looks up at his mother.
As a model for the boy,
McDermott recruited Andrew
Dahl, the son of a Blaine family
of Nordic descent. The woman
who served as the model for the
mother and, in a more youthful
version, the wife, is Jan Hrut-
fiord.
Jan is a native of Blaine,
married to an Icelander, and the
daughter of life-long fisherman
Eythor Westman. In an essay that
captures beautifully her thoughts
on being the model for the wom-
en, Jan wrote, “My mother was
the one who stayed at home and
took care of the family while
Dad was out to sea.” Years later it
was Jan’s turn. Now, she writes,
“I was the mom who watched as
my five sons all went fishing (in)
summers with Grandpa, starting
at about the age of 12.”
With the design of the sculp-
ture finalized, and the approval
of city officials for the place-
ment of “The Vigil” in a park
overlooking Blaine’s harbour,
all that remains is for funds to
be raised to cover an estimated
budget of $125,000.
To encourage donors, the de-
sign for the placement of “The
Vigil” includes spaces for bricks
and bronze plaques. For as little
as $50 for a sidewalk brick, up to
$1,000 and more for various siz-
es of plaques, donors can have
their names, their businesses,
or the names of loved ones en-
graved as permanent records of
their contribution to the creation
of “The Vigil.”
For details on how others in
Icelandic communities all over
North America can participate
and contribute to this unique
tribute to our pioneering ances-
tors, please check the website of
the Pacific Arts Association, the
non-profit organization through
which receipts for tax-deduc-
tion purposes are being issued,
at www.pacificartsassoc.org. Or
write requesting a brochure and
donor form to: Northern Mead-
ows Specialty Gift & Wine,
648A Peace Portal Drive, Blaine
WA 98230.
2 • Lögberg-Heimskringla • Friday 10 March 2006
PHOTOS COURTESY OF DIANE PALMASON
‘The Vigil’ honours
Icelandic settlers in Blaine
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Top: artist’s representation of the finished sculpture. Above:
sculptor Robert McDermott’s preliminary maquette.
IMAGES COURTESY OF DIANE PALMASON