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AUArts Alum Chosen to Design Canada's Afghan War Monument

The federal government chose an Indigenous artist's design concept for a planned national monument to Canada's mission in Afghanistan.

Veterans Affairs Minister Lawrence MacAulay announced Monday that Adrian Stimson's (BFA '03, Painting) design won out after many consultations with the public and stakeholders. He said veterans influenced the choice of the final design. 

Stimson is a member of the Siksika First Nation in southern Alberta and a veteran of the Canadian Armed Forces who served at CFB Esquimalt. 

Stimson was sent to Afghanistan through the Canadian Forces Artist Program. He said he tried to capture what he and other Canadians were experiencing in Afghanistan through his art.

Stimson's design for the monument "draws on elements of healing from the Medicine Wheel and takes the form of a circular, sacred space of safety, a home base of reflection, memory and contemplation." 

Read more on CBC News.

Photo: Team Stimson's design concept for the National Monument to Canada’s Mission in Afghanistan.

Adrian Stimson