Spirit Catcher, Steel sculpture at Kempenfelt Bay waterfront, Barrie, Canada
Spirit Catcher is a 21-meter-tall sculpture made of weathering steel with 16 kinetic quills mounted on ball bearings. These moving elements respond to wind patterns, creating continuous motion that changes with the seasons and daily weather.
This steel work originated from Vancouver's EXPO 86 before the Helen McCrea Peacock Foundation purchased it and relocated it to Barrie in 1987. The sculpture has since become a permanent fixture along the waterfront.
The work is officially named Sculpture Bird, also called Dream Catcher or Spirit Catcher. It was made by sculptor Ron Baird for Expo 86 in Vancouver, and after the fair the Helen McCrea Peacock Foundation bought it for CA$230,000 and gave it to the Barrie Gallery Project to inspire a city art gallery. Its 16 kinetic quills rock in the wind off Kempenfelt Bay.
The sculpture is freely accessible along the Kempenfelt Bay waterfront and can be visited at any time. The location is easily reached by car or public transit, and the waterside area offers walking paths and views of the bay.
The 20-tonne, 25 m wide by 21 m tall steel work was moved from Vancouver to Barrie on two flatbed trucks and installed by volunteers and two cranes over the weekend of 12–13 June 1987. It was dedicated on 12 September 1987. In May 2021, residents placed children's footwear at its base to commemorate the 215 children found in an unmarked grave at the Kamloops Indian Residential School.
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