Leo Mol was born in Ukraine in 1915. He studied at the Leningrad Academy of Arts and later continued his studies in Berlin and the Hague. In 1948 he and his wife, Margareth, came to Canada and made their home in Winnipeg.

A sculptor of world renown, he carried out commissions of world figures such as Pope John Paul II, Dwight D. Eisenhower, and John Diefenbaker. He became a member of the Royal Canadian Academy and in 1989 was appointed an officer of the Order of Canada in recognition of his artistic contributions to his adopted country. The Leo Mol Sculpture Garden officially opened in Winnipeg’s Assiniboine Park in 1992. Since that time the garden has attracted visitors from the around the world and enriched the cultural life of Winnipeg.

Rose-Aimee Belanger is a sculptor of remarkable figures fashioned in clay, sandstone, and bronze. The characters she creates are brimming with life and humor and her subject matter is gleaned from her own life experience. Over the years family, friends and neighbors have become the subjects of her insightful sculptures, finding them in the midst of their daily pursuits, at work or in repose. Her own work ethic is reflected in her characterizations of people about their daily tasks whether a miner on the job or a mother cradling her infant.

Her recognition of the importance of work in our daily lives gives special significance to simple pleasures. The characters depicted in her sculpture treasure the joy found in such ordinary pastimes. The pure delight of a woman eating a chocolate, smelling a bouquet of flowers and picking blueberries are all characteristic of her work.