Stonemason, artist, and restorer. These are just some of the hats that Kara Bruce has worn over the years. Now, she has acquired a new title that she wears proudly - curator of the Helson Gallery in the Halton Hills Cultural Centre.
Judy Daley, the first ever curator of the Helson, has retired and Kara Bruce rose up to fill her predecessor and mentor’s considerable shoes. The pair originally met during their time at the Peel Art Gallery, Museum and Archives in Brampton. Bruce was brought on at the Helson the same year Daley became curator in 2013, eventually became assistant curator under Daley’s wing.
“She taught me what was involved with exhibitions - everything from selecting work to curating a show to working with artists,” Bruce said. “One of the biggest lessons I learned from her is things might look nice together, but if they don't have a story, it means nothing.”
Don’t let her curatorial duties make you think this is all she's about. Bruce’s stone carving work adorns well-known buildings. She worked with artists Carl Tacon and Lyn Carter to carve a ribbon-like structure near the top of the stone portion of the INDX condominium building in Toronto on the south and west side. The Ontario Legislative building at Queen’s Park is showcasing her work as well. She and her father, also a stone carving artist, worked together on creating reliefs for the historic edifice.
“What was unique about that piece is my father, 25 years prior to that, carved the stone next to me. So I carved in one stone, he carved in another stone,” she said.
Her father, Eric Firth, did restoration work in 1993, creating a continuation of the family discipline on one of the most important buildings in Ontario.
This prestigious moment almost didn't happen though. While her father’s beautiful carvings riddling their backyard certainly were enticing to Bruce, he actually discouraged her from pursuing the profession. Firth came from an era where health and safety were not as big of a priority when working with materials that aerosolize particulates. His health was shot and he didn't want his daughter to have the same fate.
She pursued a career in art anyway, initially starting in wood carving and taking the transferable skills from that profession into stonemasonry. She would often go against unwanted comments from those who have trouble imagining a woman in the stonemason profession.
“It’s not really a job that you hear about often. It’s a specialty kind of niche thing,” Bruce said. “You're not used to seeing a woman on a construction site - it's just not as normal. And you’re not used to seeing a woman carving stone as much either.”
But she pushed through and made a name for herself because she “ loved going and carving. It was hard every day. Some days I come home and I have a sore back and sore hands, but I loved it and I loved every part of it.”
Now that she is firmly steering the Helson ship, one of her biggest goals is to encourage patronage from different groups of people. Her team has designed programs to reach out to those with special needs. The Helson has also been working with the Black History Awareness Society for a few years, and Bruce hopes to continue the relationship.
She plans to build on Daley’s work, who would make connections with local art collectors by working with aficionados in neighbouring municipalities like Erin.
