Remembrance Garden Sculpture: From Concept to Creation

By Rachel Dragas

Meet Sheila Botton, the artist behind Project Chimps’ Remembrance Garden Sculpture, and learn about its inception, design, and future installation.

Meet the Artist

Sheila Botton fondly recalls a childhood book about endangered species, gifted by her parents in the late ’70s. Filled with drawings and facts about these animals, it sparked her fascination with chimpanzees and led her to discover Jane Goodall. For years, she dreamed of seeing the primates in the wild, even believing she had a special ability to communicate with them.

“I graduated with a degree in fine arts in the ‘80s,” Sheila said, reflecting on her artistic journey. “I loved working with mixed media, everything from woodworking to sculpting to printmaking. In the early ‘90s, I went on to graduate in industrial and graphic design, dedicated to mastering cutting-edge digital technology, which led to a successful graphic design career. As the years passed, and my children grew, my primary source of income became digital production and publishing.”

In 2018, Sheila made a bold move to Curacao in the Caribbean, where she owns a tourism magazine, Events Curaçao. However, when the COVID-19 pandemic struck and tourism halted, she found herself turning back to her first love – sculpting and painting. “I spent day after day creating, and I realized just how much I missed sculpting. I promised myself that no matter how busy life got, I would find a way to balance it and continue creating art.”

In 2021, Sheila returned to Canada, converted part of her garage into an art studio and bought a kiln. “I haven’t stopped since!” she shares, excited to embrace her creative journey once again.

Call for Remembrance Garden Sculpture

When Project Chimps (PC) announced they were seeking an artist to create a sculpture for their Remembrance Garden, one of the Board Members thought of Sheila. She had sculpted a very special ceramic dog for him and he believed she could step up to this challenge, creating a life size sculpture of a chimpanzee. She was thrilled by the opportunity.

Sheila enjoyed the process of creating smaller models to explore her ideas. She created small wax and ceramic chimpanzee figures, and a nearly full-sized bust. While conducting her research, Sheila stumbled upon a video of Jane Goodall in the forest. A waterfall was in the background and the chimpanzees playing. Inspired by the scene, Sheila envisioned a peaceful chimpanzee with closed eyes, surrounded by water and butterflies, symbolizing the transition to the next phase after death.

Sheila submitted a presentation which included various models and detailed descriptions of her envisioned sculpture. Weeks later, she was contacted by PC and commissioned to bring her vision of Sheena the chimpanzee to life—a project that Sheila was both honored and excited to undertake.

Sheena the Muse

The donation for the sculpture was made on behalf of the donor’s late husband, who loved chimpanzee Sheena. Visiting the sanctuary in September 2024 really helped Sheila with the creation process. She recalls beckoning sweetly from a distance on the viewing balcony as Sheena gradually approached. “I said, ‘Sheena you’re going to be my model, I can’t wait to get to know you more. I’d really appreciate it if you’d turn around so I can see you’ and the second I said that she turns and looks directly up at me. We were locked in to each other, and I took photos where I was able to really zoom in on her features. What a special moment we shared!”

The Sculpting Process

Creating the sculpture was a new learning experience for Sheila and included a lot of research on materials and several visits to Home Depot. Currently, Sheila has the nearly finished sculpture at her home studio under layers of wet towels. She used a special type of medium, Pal Tiya, that is designed for outdoor sculptures and cures while wet for 28 days. Metallic structure and cable wires were used to create proportions of the hands, feet, and arms, allowing for flexibility and adjustments in positioning. Sheila used expanding foam for the interior and aluminum foil to contour the wires and create muscle tone and thickness. When the proportions were finalized, the medium was applied in layers. The first application provides a full contour of the sculpture. The second and third layers are used for texture and detailing with a bronze finish application.

Sculpture Installation and Unveil

The sculpture will be installed in the Remembrance Garden, which you can visit off the Purple Trail. The sculpture was picked up and transported from Canada to the sanctuary and Sheila will head to PC in early July to help finalize the installation for the grand reveal on World Chimpanzee Day, July 14, 2025. The concrete pond surrounding the piece will be designed to blend in well with the surroundings and the sculpture itself. Then, Sheila will add several other elements including ceramic butterflies and accompanying accents.

Evoking Emotion and Understanding through Art

Sheila hopes the sculpture will help raise awareness and understanding about the chimpanzees, and their transition from laboratory research to the sanctuary. At Project Chimps, the residents are cared for and shown the respect, space, and love they deserve. And all the chimps have a place to rest peacefully; that’s where the Remembrance Garden comes in. “It’s a very peaceful feeling there. I hope this sculpture enables folks to leave with that connection, heart opening, and support for PC and the amazing work they are doing.”

*The photos shared in this blog were in-progress updates provided by the artist. Come visit in person or look for updates on our social media channels to see the final product!

Learn more about Project Chimps and ways that you can support here.