Life-sized driftwood sculpture exhibit to raise money for Vancouver Island wildlife centre

A Victoria artist who builds life-sized sculptures of local wildlife entirely out of driftwood is bringing her works to downtown Victoria to help fundraise for Wild ARC, an animal rehabilitation centre in Metchosin, B.C.
The exhibit, called "WILD BC!," will be open from March 28 to April 16 at the Gage Gallery in Bastion Square.
Thirty life-sized sculptures of animals, ranging from wolves to whales to eagles and more, will be on display at the exhibit.
Entry to the gallery will be free, and 25 per cent of all art sale proceeds will go towards WILD ARC, while another 25 per cent will go to the Gage Gallery to help support the local art scene.
"My goal is to give people the experience of standing in front of a wild creature like a wolf or cougar without risk to either the person or the animals," sad artist Tanya Bub in a release from the BC SPCA on Monday.
She also hoped that her driftwood pieces would inspire a "feeling of awe for the amazing creatures who share our province."
Bub will be at the gallery on March 29 for a free "meet the artist" event, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Information about the animals recreated in the driftwood sculptures will also be present at the gallery, and visitors are welcome to snap photos of the sculptures or take selfies.
Bub is experienced at making driftwood art. She ran a similar fundraiser last year and in 2020 she made a massive, 1000-piece driftwood sculpture of Staqeya, also known as Takaya, the lone wolf of Discovery Island.
The sculpture was on the display at the Empress Hotel that year.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
U.S., Canadian navies stage rare joint mission through Taiwan Strait
A U.S. and a Canadian warship sailed through the Taiwan Strait on Saturday, the U.S. Navy said, in a rare joint mission in the sensitive waterway at a time of heightened tensions between Beijing and Washington over Chinese-claimed Taiwan.

Four kids drown, man missing after Quebec fishing accident: provincial police
A fishing excursion ended in tragedy on Saturday when four children died in a village in northeastern Quebec, provincial police said. Authorities said they were still searching for a missing man in his 30s who was a member of the fishing party and remained unaccounted for.
Alcohol policies in every province, territory receive failing grade in meeting public health standards: report
A new report has found that alcohol policies in all provinces and territories are failing to meet public health standards.
Fighting climate change or funding fossil fuels? America wants it 'both ways': U.S. ambassador
The U.S. Ambassador to Canada says America 'absolutely wants to have it both ways' when it comes to fighting climate change while pursuing fossil fuel projects.
Antipsychotic drugs use increased in Canadian long-term care homes, pointing to possible quality-of-care issues: study
New study finds increase in antipsychotic drugs use in long-term care homes across Canada, despite no significant increase in behavioural symptoms – something that may expose a potential area of concern for quality of care, researchers say.
More than 5,000 new species discovered at future deep-sea mining site in Pacific Ocean
More than 5,000 new species have been discovered at an expansive future deep-sea mining site in the Pacific Ocean.
Ukraine says inspections found nearly a quarter of its air-raid shelters locked or unusable
Concerns around civilian safety spiked in Ukraine on Saturday, as officials announced that an inspection had found nearly a quarter of the country's air-raid shelters locked or unusable, just days after a woman in Kyiv allegedly died waiting outside a shuttered shelter during a Russian missile barrage.
Pope warns of risk of corruption in missionary fundraising after AP investigation
Pope Francis warned the Vatican's missionary fundraisers on Saturday not to allow financial corruption to creep into their work, insisting that spirituality and spreading the Gospel must drive their operations, not mere entrepreneurship.
Feds open to cutting plastic production but global agreement will be hard: Guilbeault
Canada is open to the idea of including a requirement to cut back on the production of plastic in a new global treaty to eliminate plastic pollution, Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault said Friday.