Why I named it "Big Shoes"

Ruth Abernethy, sculptor of the Lester B. Pearson portrait bronze, explains her work.

Lester Pearson’s story is shaped by the impact of two World Wars. In surviving WWI this young stretcher-bearer became profoundly committed to the human capacity for change without warfare. His powers of diplomacy resolved the Suez Crisis in 1956 and won him a Nobel Peace Prize.

Pearson had a keen mind. He’d be restless and impatient standing on a plinth. It seemed logical that he would step out of his Big Shoes and settle nearby to watch who else might fill them.

— Ruth