Chip and Shannon Wilson’s A-Maze-Ing gift to the people of Vancouver

Tuesday July 24th, 2012

If you’ve been anywhere near English Bay recently you’ll be familiar with Yue Minjun’s “A-maze-ing Laughter”. Located in Morton Park near the corners of Davie and Denman Streets, the piece was one of the most beloved sculptures of the 2009-2011 Vancouver Biennale. The unbelieveable response by the people of Vancouver prompted the Vancouver Biennale to find a way to keep it here permanently.

Well, thanks to a generous donation by Lululemon founder Chip Wilson and his wife Shannon, the sculpture will remain in Morton Park for generations to come. The Wilson family has donated $1.5 million dollars to the Vancouver Biennale for the specific purpose of gifting A-maze-ing Laughter to the City of Vancouver.

“We wanted to give something to the city that everyone could enjoy”, says Chip Wilson. “On any given day, English Bay is full of joggers, cyclists, rollerbladers and people enjoying one of the most beautiful sea walls in the world. To mix that with a work of art that brings out the playful nature in people and gets them laughing is really something special”.

Like what you see?