Birds and Bacteria invade John Zubick Ltd.

There’s a unique art museum in London people may not know about. It’s in an unusual location – the scrap metal yard of John Zubick Limited on Clarke Road. Many people drive by these metal creatures, not realizing they are the result of a unique collaboration between Fanshawe College and Zubick.  

Each year, second-year students in Paul Dreossi’s sculpting class are required to create a metal works project. The process begins the second week of class when groups are formed and ideas brought to life. The rest of the school year is spent working with staff at Zubick to build their sculpture, which has a different theme each year. 

In addition to providing the scrap metal for this project for the past six years, John Zubick Ltd. has supported this initiative by donating manpower, safety equipment and welding advice to the students, many of whom have never welded before.

"It did not take long for this project to capture the hearts of our employees here at Zubick's.  The quality of art the Fanshawe students have created out of common scrap metal has surpassed our wildest expectations," said Matt Zubick. "It is inspiring for our employees to see these magnificent pieces of art created on our site, out of materials they handle every day.  We are very proud of this project and the artwork the students create.  We have developed an excellent working relationship with Fanshawe and we hope that this will continue for a long time to come."

"The Zubicks’ competition is a marvelous opportunity for my students to work on a project that would not be possible at the College.  The scale of the work aside, using steel and learning about welding and metal working has changed the curriculum of second-year sculpture for the last eight years," said Fanshawe College professor Paul Dreossi. "Equally exciting is knowing they are enjoyed by those within our community. This is real art, not just a school project and I am proud of what my students have accomplished and very grateful for the support from John Zubick Limited."

While the opportunity to create a piece of art of this size is an excellent opportunity for Fanshawe’s students, it is further sweetened with a year-end competition for the most creative design, complete with a $1,000 first prize donated by Zubick.

"The staff at Fanshawe College have been wonderful to deal with since the conception of this project. I am not aware of a partnership like this existing anywhere else, so it took a lot of courage and imagination for Fanshawe to even entertain our original proposal," said Matt Zubick. "The passion and dedication of Fanshawe staff members like Paul Dreossi ensures this project continues safely and successfully."

Students unveiled their latest metal creations at the Marconi Club on Wednesday, April 11.   Their projects were judged on creativity and design by Bruce Zubick, co-owner of John Zubick Ltd and Cassie Getty, Curator of Contemporary Art at Museum London.  Beth Parkinson and Carly Vinet won with their ‘bacteria.’ All sculptures will be on display at Zubicks for one year.