Public Unveiling for Bird Set Free

Tuesday, 26 May 2026 05:56

The statue by Duane and Urszula Kumala-Thomas pays tribute to the late Florence Carlyle.

WOODSTOCK - A scuplture that has been three-years in the making it about to be unveiled in Woodstock.

It is honors the memory of Florence Carlyle. She was born in 1864 and grew up in Woodstock before becoming a world renowned painter. She settled down in England with her partner Judith Hastings in 1911, before her passing in 1923.

The Woodstock Art Gallery (WAG) announced the Florence Carlyle Sculpture Commission in May of 2023, honouring the 100th anniversary of her death. More than a dozen submissions were received, before the WAG unveiled a shortlist of four pieces of artwork in May of 2024, opening an online survey for public feedback.

Duane and Urszula Kumala-Thomas were awarded the comission in June 2024. This news hit close to home for them, because they were raising their children in the same home that Carlyle grew up in.

Their sculpture is called Bird Set Free, and Duane says it has three main components with the bird, the birdcage, and the corset.

"The bird is coming out of the cage as it's torn open at the top. The corset and all of those kind of symbolize the constraints that women went through over the years, so it's like breaking free."

Bird was Carlyle's nickname, which inspired the artwork.

Duane says there is also a hidden detail inside of the sculpture.

"We picked a gold colour that ties it in with the park, the trees, and nature. But when you step inside and look up, you see a rainbow of colours which is symbolic for a number of reasons. It's also attributed to the fact that we all have beauty within us, you just have to look up and lift ourselves up."

A public unveiling for Bird Set Free will be taking place in Florence Carlyle Park on Vansittart Ave in Woodstock this Saturday starting at 11:00 a.m..

Duane says a documentary with a behind the scene look at the creation of the sculpture will also be screened at Theatre Woodstock on June 25th.

You can listen to our full interview with Duane Kulama-Thomas below: