The Tauba & Solomon Spiro Family Foundation has generously donated four sculptures by iconic Canadian sculptor William (Bill) Lishman to adorn our front courtyard here at Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital.

The Spiro family has a long history with our organization through their foundation of supporting music and the arts here at Holland Bloorview.  As lovers of the arts, this sculpture donation from the Spiro family builds upon their donating to music therapy programming and sponsoring hospital atrium concerts for our Bloorview School Authority children, inpatients and their families.

These statues are part of a series of 24 sculptures Lishman produced to celebrate the human spirit and were designed to honour the late philanthropist Max Tanenbaum. The remaining 20 sculptures can be found at Bridgepoint Active Healthcare in the Max Tanenbaum Sculpture Garden. Additionally, Lishman’s work can be found on other sites throughout Canada including the Canadian Museum of Nature.

Bill Lishman was a Pickering-born artist and author, known by many for his autobiography Father Goose recounting his experience creating an ultralight aircraft to assist geese in their migration, ultimately inspiring the 1999 Disney film Fly Away Home. Bill was dyslexic, colour blind and described by his family as an “active spirit with an active imagination.” He passed away on Dec. 30, 2017 shortly after being diagnosed with Leukemia.  

We are honoured to feature a selection of sculptures from this series on the perimeter of our front courtyard as of Tuesday, Dec. 6 and are grateful to the Spiro family for their donation. We encourage our clients, families, visitors and staff to stop by on their way to and from the hospital and reflect on these stunning works of art.