Heart sculpture pays respect to ‘founding mothers’

Esther Short — Vancouver’s Downtown Association unveiled a new sculpture on Nov. 6 at West Sixth and Columbia streets. The work, titled “Heart and Stone,” designed by Vancouver’s Cobalt Designworks, honors the city’s “founding mothers.” The sculpture is a nearly 2-ton boulder with a 12-foot-tall steel “heart.” “Founding mothers” Joyce Kilpatrick, Connie Kearney, Leslie Durst and Pat Jollota were on hand for the unveiling, and a women’s choir from the Vancouver School of Arts and Academics performed. “Women have often been the unsung visionaries who have devoted their creativity, tenacity, smarts, and treasure to building our community,” Linda Reid, association board chairwoman, said in a news release from the organization. “It is our honor to tell their stories. The heart of our city is a wonderful place to do this, and it certainly helps others understand some of the outstanding leaders who made wonderful things happen.”