Canadian Studies Announcements

In This Issue:

Program News

• New Hildebrand Fellow Iris Wu uncovers how Indigenous knowledge shaped aviation in the Far North

Upcoming Events

• San Francisco begins removal of controversial fountain by Quebec artist

External Events

• Le Vent du Nord & Foghorn Stringband at the Freight

PROGRAM NEWS

New Hildebrand Fellow Iris Wu Uncovers How Indigenous Knowledge Shaped Aviation in the Far North

The Canadian Studies Program is pleased to announce that Iris Wu has been awarded an Edward E. Hildebrand Research Fellowship for Summer 2026.

Iris is a PhD student in the Department of History. Her research overlaps the history of statistics, the history of technology, and environmental history. These interests have culminated in her current focus on the history of global aviation. In particular, she seeks to understand the construction of “global” kinds of knowledge infrastructure, epistemic communities, and the material infrastructures in the case of aviation. She is especially interested in the ideologies and measures of environmental governance and statistical risk calculus embedded within these structures, which continue to shape and govern collective and individual life today.

During her upcoming research trip to Whitehorse, Juneau, and Fairbanks, Iris will investigate a form of aviation central to the cultural and social landscapes of the Far North: bush flying. As a pilot herself, she hopes to understand the Arctic landscape as it is conceptualized and documented through the embodied vision of the pilot. She also seeks to understand the Indigenous knowledge and geographical pathways that informed pilots’ practices. In addition, she examines the power dynamics and contestation of aerial sovereignty mediated through bush flying, pilots, including Indigenous pilots, the military, and Arctic communities. Ultimately, this project seeks to trace how local and Indigenous forms of knowledge were appropriated, militarized, and standardized into expansive knowledge frameworks that came to be understood as global aviation, while attending to the erasures of Indigenous knowledge pathways that accompanied this process.

Iris holds a BA in History from UC Berkeley.

BAY AREA NEWS

San Francisco Begins Removal of Controversial Fountain by Quebec Artist

Last week, the city of San Francisco began work to remove a prominent and polarizing landmark from its waterfront. Officially called the Vaillancourt Fountain, or sometimes “Québec Libre!”, the piece has been the much-debated focal point of Embarcadero Plaza for fifty-five years. Yet while many San Franciscans have strong opinions about the fountain, fewer know about its connections to Quebec!

The fountain was conceived in 1966 by the Québécois artist Armand Vaillancourt as the centerpiece of a major redevelopment of the Embarcadero area. The 38-year-old Vaillancourt was one of six artists from around the world invited to submit a proposal for the plaza’s central sculpture. He won the competition with a brutalist concrete fountain that divided the city’s Arts Committee. The final product cost the city $607,800 (almost $5 million in today’s dollars), nearly twice the amount budgeted for the piece.

The fountain was inaugurated in 1971. It divided public and critical opinion, with some praising the boldness of its design while others called it a “monstrosity”. It got its alternate name when the phrase “Québec Libre” (“Free Quebec”) was painted on it just before its unveiling. While the city quickly removed the graffiti, at the dedication ceremony Vaillancourt himself repainted the phrase in several places around the fountain in support of the Quebec sovereignty movement. He declared that his work was dedicated to the freedom of oppressed people around world, from Quebec to Vietnam.

As the fountain aged, it began accumulating increasing maintenance costs. Its water was shut off for years at a time starting in 2001. Arguments increased between preservationists who considered the fountain historic, and those who called it a costly eyesore and wanted to remove it to redesign the plaza. The 96-year-old Vaillancourt has himself maintained a keen eye on these debates over one of his most iconic works.

Ultimately, the fountain’s fate was sealed when its pumps finally failed in 2024, and city officials estimated that repairs would cost at least $29 million. Citing structural issues and the presence of lead and asbestos in the structure that make it a “public health hazard”, the city applied for an emergency demolition permit to remove the fountain, despite planned legal action by Vaillancourt and allies. Initial preparations to dismantle the fountain began Friday, while major work is set to commence Wednesday after courts rejected preservationists’ requests for an emergency stay. The city plans to keep the dismantled fountain in storage while determining what to do with it.

In a 2025 interview with CBC, Vaillancourt says that he considers the pending demolition a “blemish” on his legacy. Nevertheless, he remains hopeful that the fountain might be brought to Canada and reinstalled in a new location where it will be better appreciated.

Image: The Vaillancourt Fountain in 2013. Photo by Jim Heaphy, Wikimedia Commons.

EXTERNAL EVENTS

Le Vent du Nord & Foghorn Stringband at the Freight

Thurs., May 7 | 8:00 pm | Berkeley | Tickets

Get ready for an evening of high-energy roots traditions as Québécois band Le Vent du Nord joins forces with the Foghorn Stringband for an exciting co-feature performance at the Freight in Berkeley. Blending the driving rhythms of Québecois music with the old-time flavors of the American string band tradition, this electrifying evening promises foot-stomping grooves, rich harmonies, and masterful musicianship.

Le Vent du Nord are globally-recognized ambassadors of Canada’s Francophone culture and a major creative force within Québec’s progressive folk music scene. The band has released 13 albums and received numerous international awards including Artists of the year at Folk Alliance International & Canadian Folk Music Awards and two JUNO Awards.

The Foghorn Stringband is the gold standard in the old-time American string band music. They draw from old-time, bluegrass, classic country, and Cajun music traditions in an ongoing quest to present a broad span of American historical music.

Canadian Studies Program

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