William Hodd ("Bill") McElcheran (

Hamilton, Ontario Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario. Hamilton has a Canada 2016 Census, population of 569,353, and its Census Metropolitan Area, census metropolitan area, which includes Burlington, ...

; 1927–1999) was a Canadian designer and sculptor.

Career

McElcheran began modeling portraits as a boy at the age of 10. When he was 16, he was granted an advanced second-year standing at the

Ontario College of Art Ontario College of Art & Design University, commonly known as OCAD University or OCAD, is a public art university located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The university's main campus is spread throughout several buildings and facilities within d ...

where he studied until 1948, receiving training as a carpenter and designer. During his time at the College, he earned a painting scholarship, and upon graduating at the top of his class in 1948, was awarded the Lieutenant-Governor's Medal. In the mid-fifties, he was employed by Bruce Brown and Brisely Architects in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

as a liturgical designer. During his employment, he became their lead designer for church and university buildings, and made a significant impact on architectural interior design. In 1958, he played a major role in the development of

McMaster Divinity College McMaster Divinity College, also known as MDC, is a Baptist Christian seminary in Hamilton, Ontario affiliated with McMaster University and the Canadian Baptists of Ontario and Quebec ( Canadian Baptist Ministries). The institution's mission is to ...

and Chapel, contributing sculptures in stone and wood to the interior. McElcheran began sculpting in the early sixties with wood, and later used bronze and other materials. After 1970, McElcheran started work on his pieces ''The Crowd'', ''The (Rat) Race'' and ''Businessman'', for display in Canadian cities. He continued to develop themes of futility and corporatization in his sculptures until his death. He went to Italy in 1975 and resided in

Pietrasanta Pietrasanta is a town and ''comune'' on the coast of northern Tuscany in Italy, in the province of Lucca. Pietrasanta is part of Versilia, on the last foothills of the Apuan Alps, about north of Pisa. The town is located off the coast, where the ...

. After returning to Canada, he commissioned a fountain scene (The Family Fountain) for the city of

Guelph Guelph ( ; 2021 Canadian Census population 143,740) is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. Known as "The Royal City", Guelph is roughly east of Kitchener and west of Downtown Toronto, at the intersection of Highway 6, Highway 7 and Wel ...

Selected works

* ''The Race'' (1966), at the front of Rodman Hall Art Centre in St. Catharines * ''Untitled'' – bronze sculpture, relief (1973), John M. Kelly Library –

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 ...

(first in plastic, a few years later in Italy in bronze) * ''Businessman'' (1980), Wellington Street in Toronto and Cobourg, (

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...

) * ''The Conversation'' (1981),

Stephen Avenue Stephen Avenue is a major pedestrian mall in downtown Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The mall is the portion of 8 Avenue SW between 4 Street SW and 1 Street SE. It is open to vehicles only from 6:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. The street is known for some of C ...

in Calgary * ''Cross Section'' (1984), bas relief at TTC Dundas Station in Toronto * ''The Family'' (1985), fountain at Quebec Street and Wydnham Street N in Guelph * ''Businessman Walking'' (1986), King Street and St. Clair Avenue in Toronto * ''The Encounter'' (1986),

Commerce Court Commerce Court is an office building complex on King and Bay Streets in the financial district of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The four-building complex is a mix of Art Deco, International, and early Modernism architectural styles. The office co ...

Courtyard near Bay Street and King Street East in Toronto * ''Three Businessmen'' and Career Woman, outside of Hotel Continental Tirrenia, Via Belvedere in Pisa (Italy) * ''Veni Vidi Vici'' (1989), University of Toronto and the

Odette Sculpture Park The Windsor Sculpture Park, formerly known as the Odette Sculpture Park, is an open space in Windsor, Ontario, Canada, that shows 35 large-scale contemporary sculptures by world-renowned artists including Elisabeth Frink, Gerald Gladstone, and Sore ...

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* ''The Boss'' (1989) * ''Che Fa?'' or ''What's Happening'' (1995), 108 Cumberland Street, Toronto ( Yorkville) * ''The Mob or Hunting Party'' (in plaster), The Village, Toronto * ''Encounter'' (1997), bronze sculpture of two businessmen (1958, 3 of 4),

York University York University (french: Université York), also known as YorkU or simply YU, is a public university, public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's fourth-largest university, and it has approximately 55,700 students, 7,0 ...

in Toronto (outside courtyard next to Student Centre) * ''Timewise'' (year unknown), At the entrance of John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport, Hamilton, Ontario

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:McElcheran, William Artists from Hamilton, Ontario 1927 births 1999 deaths OCAD University alumni 20th-century Canadian sculptors Canadian male sculptors 20th-century Canadian male artists