Conservation: A Vision of Hope
August 26, 2025
Trigger warning: violence against women
The EAC recently commissioned a short video to document the extensive conservation work that is ongoing on the artwork A Vision of Hope. The artwork is a monument for the 14 female engineering students who lost their lives in 1989 in a shooting at École Polytechnique in Montréal, an event known as the Montréal Massacre. The artwork features three life-size female figures, symbolizing suffering, healing, and hope, resting on top of a gear wheel base, representing the women who lost their lives. The broken steel I‑beam reflects both the engineering background of the victims and the ‘lightning-like’ shattering of their lives.
Organizers of the annual memorial in Edmonton commissioned the sculpture by artist Michele Mitchell for the 10th anniversary of the Montréal massacre. The monument was unveiled in Edmonton at a ceremony on December 6, 1999.
In the subsequent years, the artwork was damaged, and the Edmonton Arts Council stepped in to conserve the piece. In 2023, it was removed from its location at Mary Burlie Park while repairs were made, with hopes that the piece will be displayed publicly in a suitable indoor location in the future.
In this video, learn more about the history of the memorial and the steps taken to restore it through the words of Del Marlow, Monument Committee Member and the EAC Collection Services team.
A special thank you to Conor McNally for beautifully capturing the story behind this powerful artwork.
