Katie Ohe is one of Canada’s most important sculptors and one of the first artists to make conceptual sculpture in Alberta. She is a beloved mentor who has inspired and taught generations of art students.

Katie von der Ohe was born in 1937 on a farm near Peers, Alberta. She was 16 when she began her studies at the Alberta College of Art (ACA) in Calgary followed by a year at the Museum of Fine Arts in Montreal, then in New York at the Sculpture Center. Studies there led to a year of independent study in London, England and finally, eight summers studying in Verona, Italy at the Fonderia Fabris.

Katie returned to Canada to teach at ACA as it evolved into the Alberta College of Art and Design (ACAD). Her tenure at the school spans from 1954 when she first enrolled as a student, to 2016 when she retired from teaching. Her many accolades include the ACA Medal of Excellence, the designation Lecturer Emeritus, an Honourary Masters in Fine Arts from ACAD, an Honourary Doctor of Laws from the University of Calgary, the Queen Elizabeth II’s Golden, Diamond and Platinum Jubilee Medals, the Alberta Centennial Medal and the Lieutenant Governor of Alberta Distinguished Artist Award, the province’s most prestigious artistic award that celebrates Alberta’s rich cultural fabric by honouring its most accomplished artists.

Katie has exhibited extensively throughout Canada and internationally, and her sculptures are found in numerous permanent collections from Alberta to Ottawa to New York. Her public sculptures are eminently familiar to Calgarians: Janet’s Crown at ACAD, Garden of Learning at the University of Calgary, Nimmons Cairn in Bankview, Lotus no. 1 at the Bethany Care Centre, Child Bearers at the Calgary School Board and perhaps her most celebrated sculpture, the Zipper at the University of Calgary.

Now among this list is “Three Tree”, an 11 foot tall, kinetic steel sculpture for Two Park Central in Calgary, developed by Hines. “Three Tree” comes from Katie’s Sculpture Prayer Series. These smaller, wall-mounted sculptures begin with a vessel that one can cup in their hands as an offering and from each is a form based on an important memory in Katie’s life. “Three Tree” has its vessel connected to the earth through a root system thus connecting earth to sky. The sculpture will gently rock back in forth with a gentle push and so engaging with its audience. Katie has always wanted her surfaces to be so seductive that you touched them before your brain told you no. It is her hope that Three Tree will be a lasting testament to her career as a conceptual sculptor, teacher and mentor.

We would like to thank Alexander Caldwell, a student of Katie's who fabricated this sculpture to her precise specifications and to Hines for their continued support of the visual arts.

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