Local artist Ruby Ewan donates sculpture to Pontiac High School
Glen Hartle, LJI Reporter
Lying at the intersection of literature, science and art stands an epic poetic tale written at the very cusp of our modern times by Samuel Taylor Coleridge: The Rime of the Ancient Mariner. That poem has become entrenched into our collective identity and many of us quote it without even realizing we are doing so, as we do with so many of Shakespeare’s witticisms. Who among us has not heard or used “water, water, every where, nor any drop to drink”?
And while the poem has long been standard fare at most educational waypoints, Pontiac High School (PHS) is now proud to host a sculpture inspired by, and named for, the story-teller in Coleridge’s poem.
Following on the heels of an extensive retrospective exhibition in Portage du Fort last year (Stone school opens 2023 season with Ruby Ewen “Retrospective” THE EQUITY, June 7, 2023), local artist Ruby Ewen has donated her 2020 sculpture The Ancient Mariner to PHS. A special dedication and ceremony was held Thursday, led by PHS Principal Terry Burns and english and outdoor education teacher, Jordan Kent, whereby the sculpture was officially made part of PHS.
“I am thrilled that the high school accepted this donation,” said Ewen, via email as she was unable to attend the event in person. It was Ewen’s friend and fellow artist, Mary McDowell Wood, who suggested PHS as a final destination.
“We need order and beauty in our world as it leads us forward,” said Wood, “and the school is for education and inspiration too. What better place for Ruby’s art.”
For Principal Burns’ part, he enthused that “we are very thankful that Ruby thought of us, and many of our graduating students in the future will, no doubt, have the rite of passage of studying the Rime of the Ancient Mariner.”
English teacher Kent offered a succinct overview of the poem to a gathering of students in the very casual-feeling library, and offered that at least some of the contextual aura of social change which inspired the poem back in 1798 has relevance today. “We are honoured to accept this gift,” he said, “and we are going to keep it in the reading nook in my classroom.”
Poetry plays a large role in Kent’s classroom and, as he says, “The artwork is a wonderful addition. The Rime of the Ancient Mariner will become a component of the poetry unit. It is a beautiful piece to teach students about interpretation, adaptation, and inspiration.”
For Ewen, “I would love to have been there” she said, her written words fully conveying her joy at having found a perfect home for her art.
“I finished The Ancient Mariner in 2020,” said Ewen. “Many people contributed different objects, and some I found at second hand stores in Shawville, Quyon and Aylmer.”
A twinkle in Ewan’s eye can be inferred from her emailed words as she explains, “The face of the captain lies between the crossbow and wheel of the ship. His eyes [represented by earrings] look upwards, his nose a rusty hook. He has an old chain as a moustache and his mouth holds a coin dedicated to literature and Samuel Taylor Coleridge, with his name and the date of the poem inscribed on the coin.”
When looking at the sculpture, one’s eyes feast upon a profusion of diversity with layers of symbolism on display, of which the interpretation is left open. At a minimum, one sees an ironing board, dice, figurines, leaves, trinkets, jewellery, rusted iron, an albatross, sea shells and, yes, even a ship’s wheel.
Where the story goes from there is left to the modern onlooker, taking inspiration from the ancient one’s tale told from a romantic’s point of view, and realized by a modern and talented artist adding her local truths.