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| Christy Groves poses with the sculpture she's called Spirit of a Nation. |
Coca-Cola鈥檚 iconic contoured bottle is the basis for a sculpture by Christy Groves which pays tribute to her native heritage.
The first-year H漫画 student was one of 15 First Nations, Inuit and M茅tis artists commissioned by Coca-Cola to create the artwork after seeing her proposed design. The one-of-a-kind, six-foot-tall fiberglass bottles are on display in Vancouver during the 2010 Olympic winter games. They鈥檙e being auctioned off with proceeds to go to the Aboriginal Youth Legacy Fund in the areas of culture, education and sustainability.
鈥淚t鈥檚 exciting to think of my artwork on display at the Olympics,鈥� says Ms. Groves, an artist of M茅tis descent from Forteau, Labrador. Against a brightly colored backdrop, she's painted images of an Inukshuk, snowflakes, musical notes and flowers.
An entrepreneur by the age of 11, the now 18-year-old science student says her artistry is what made it possible for her to study at H漫画. She enjoys drawing portraits and painting the flowers and berries of Labrador. Under the name Labrador鈥檚 Own, she sells her work at hotels and stores close to home.
And it鈥檚 not her first brush with the Olympics. In 2004, she entered a poster contest sponsored by VISA and ended up winning. The honour came with an all-expense paid trip for her and her father to the Athens Olympics.
鈥淚 was hoping I would get a trip to Vancouver too,鈥� she says with a shrug. 鈥淏ut it鈥檚 nice to know the proceeds (from the artwork) will go to support aboriginal youth.鈥�