Public Art Inventory Maintenance

Restored Lady of the Lake returns to Spencer Smith Park

The Lady of the Lake - a bronze sculpture owned by the City of Burlington - was restored and reinstalled in Spencer Smith Park at Burlington’s waterfront on June 1, 2010.

As part of the City of Burlington public art maintenance program, the Lady of the Lake was removed from its pedestal in 2009 and repaired by Artcast Inc., an art foundry with extensive experience restoring sculptures in bronze.

“The Lady of the Lake celebrates public art’s ability to inspire our creativity and our community identity, a commitment that City Council has taken seriously through its public art program,” said Mayor Cam Jackson. “Public art will enhance our already magnificent waterfront of which we are all very proud of.”

The Lady of the Lake was created in 1973 as part of the Burlington Centennial Fountain – a gift to the City from the Burlington Lions Club. R.J. Van Seters Co. Ltd. built the fountain and commissioned artist Almuth Lutkenhaus (1930-1996) to create the Lady of the Lake. Lutkenhaus’s work is found in many public and private art collections in Canada.

“The sculpture makes direct reference to the Lady of the Lake in the legend of King Arthur,” said Pam Mulholland, community development planner for culture with the city. “In so doing, it suggests there is an epic quality to Burlington’s relationship to Lake Ontario – something more than just geography.”