The Spirit Catcher
About the Spirit Catcher
The Spirit Catcher has been
After the end of EXPO ’86, the sculpture was purchased by the Helen McCrea Peacock Foundation and donated to the Barrie Gallery Project in memory of Helen McCrea Peacock and Kenneth Westrup. The Barrie Gallery Project was renamed the MacLaren Art Centre in 1991, and the Spirit Catcher was the first artwork to enter the MacLaren’s Permanent Collection. The installation took place over the course of two days in June 1987 and was dedicated in September of that year.
Ron Baird (RCA) is a Canadian artist, based out of Beaverton, Ontario. He is best known for his large-scale, site-specific sculptural installations. Many are kinetic or respond in some way to their environmental conditions. Baird is the recipient of numerous honours, including Allied Arts Awards from the Royal Architectural Society of Canada and the Ontario Society of Architects. He has worked throughout Canada and has undertaken residencies in Ireland and Nicaragua. Other publicly sited works by Baird in Barrie include the Sea Serpent (1986) on Barrie’s

Ron Baird, Spirit Catcher, 1986, Corten steel, 21.3 m high. Collection of the MacLaren Art Centre. Gift of the Helen McCrea Peacock Foundation, 1987. Photo: Joseph Hartman, 2013
Repairs to the Spirit Catcher
Every year, the MacLaren undertakes routine maintenance and review of the Spirit Catcher. In June 2016, the technicians noted that several of the ball bearings, now thirty years old,
The MacLaren Art Centre has a detailed preservation plan for Spirit Catcher’s maintenance and annually inspects all moving and stationary parts, greasing bearings and preparing a report on the condition of the sculpture. In 2016, the MacLaren Art Centre worked with engineers from CC Tatham and with Western Mechanical to replace the ball bearings on each of the sixteen quills and on the two antennae. Spirit Catcher has been
Requests for Reproduction of the Spirit Catcher by Ron Baird, 1986, Collection of the MacLaren Art Centre, Barrie
The Spirit Catcher by Ron Baird (1986) is a work in the Permanent Collection of the MacLaren Art Centre. In accordance with Canadian copyright law, the artist owns
a) Organizations wishing to reproduce a photographic image of the Spirit Catcher in print and/or electronic publications and communication materials must seek prior permission from the MacLaren. Permission will be granted provided the photography appropriately represents the artwork, gives the full credit — Spirit Catcher by Ron Baird, 1986, Collection of the MacLaren Art Centre, Barrie — and that the materials bearing the image are used to celebrate the artist, the artwork, the visual arts and/or the City of Barrie. Reproduction and/or royalty fees may be required.
b) Not-for-profit organizations in Barrie may apply to the MacLaren to use a 2-D image reproduction of the Spirit Catcher as a part of their logo or graphic design to promote an event or cause, provided the objects/
c) Any other requests (i.e. from for-profit organizations to use an image or graphic of the Spirit Catcher to advertise or promote a product or service, or requests to produce merchandise for sale, etc.) will be forwarded to the MacLaren board/executive for consideration. Reproduction and/or royalty fees may be required.
d) As legal owners of the artwork, the MacLaren Art Centre maintains exclusive reproduction rights for the Spirit Catcher in respect to 3-D replicas, 2-D printed images and other