Michael Irving Ph.D Studio

PROJECTS
HEURISTIC ART PROJECTS Dr. Irving’s art explores elements of the human experience. His extended immersion on artistic themes results in works that are a series or a project. Each of the projects listed below could be viewed as Heuristic Art and even Heuristic Art Research Find out more	Galleries Commissions Projects Child Abuse Monument A UN Monument Wakinyan Awasis Embryo Show Heuristic Art The Monument Story
THE EMBRYO SHOW SERIES The Embryo Show Series developed into Dr. Irving's first in depth Heuristic Art Research Project. The embryo Show Series began as an art project to depict the awe and wonder of birth and becoming life. Discoveries of the Embryo Show series led to a theory of natalism and pioneering work in pre and perinatal psychology. Dr. Irving’s natalistic sculpture is graceful and is additionally valuable in collections for its importance in the worlds of art and psychology. Find out more
THE CHILD ABUSE SURVIVOR MONUMENT PROJECT Undertaking a National Child Abuse Monument was conceived by Dr. Irving in 1990. He shared the ideas of design, function and process of creation with other survivors, clinicians and artists. Common denominators of feed back were that it needed to be collaborative, personal and story telling. In the fall of 1995 Dr. Irving wrote a formal business plan. After six years of conceptual inquiry and a six-month art research stage, workshops for sculpting quilt squares began in January 1997 and continued across Canada into 2001 when the primary sculpting of the “Reaching Out” figures and quilt squares was completed. The quilt squares as limited edition cast paper sculptures separate from their role on the Monument figures have significant income generating value. Find out more
A UN MONUMENT TO LOST CHILDHOODS The Global Memorial to Lost Childhoods is is a vision of a series of seven “Reaching Out” Figures that provide a voice for exploited children. The seven massive figures would be placed in a circle like a large modern day Stonehenge dedicated to acknowledging the tragic adversity faced by exploited children and to creating a better world for children. In the centre of the circle would be two large midwife’s hands holding a newborn emerging from the stone of mother earth. On the outside of the “Reaching Out” figures a series of sculpture pedestals would be created out of bronze reliefs of children’s art works. Resting atop these pedestals would be bronze figurative sculptures of children playing and family vignettes. The process of doing the research for the sculptures, making them and having them viewed would provide a unique means of addressing issues of the most severely abused and neglected children in the international community. Find out more
WAKINYAN AWASIS: Thunderbird Healing Place for the Spirit of the Wounded Child Wakinyan Awasis is planned as a large sacred healing site and memorial dedicated healing the spirit of the wounded child. The site would be comprised of more than one hundred sculptural works by native artists from across North America and a complementing cultural/interpretive centre. Art heals. Art works and memorial sites can be effective in large scale social healing as was seen with the Viet Nam Memorial in Washington D.C. There have been wide spread and grave wounds to the child and inner child in the First Nations of North America. A significant sacred site memorial dealing with the wounded child would be of enormous value to Native peoples. The site, the creation of the site and the long-term use of the site would assist many individuals and communities in their healing and recovery process. The vision for Wakinyan Awasis originated with Sculptor/Psychotherapist, Michael C. Irving, Ph.D. His studio would be responsible for creating four of the monuments for the sacred site. Only the general themes are designated for the remaining more than one hundred works, such as: West coast totem, animal spirit, spirit mound or smudge bowl. A wide variety of Native artists from across North America would be commissioned to make this large selection of sculptures and monumental works. The design and details of the pieces wouldl be in the artistic control of the artists commissioned to produce the works. Find out more
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