Been Wondering About Bean Woman?

If you’ve been at the Downtown School Farm recently, maybe you’ve spotted Bean Woman? Who, you might ask? Here she is.

Roger Quesnel with his sculpture Bean Woman at the Downtown School Farm

Bean Woman is now a landmark at the farm. One day just garden beds, then the next day she was there. Currently, she has no signage introducing her, which has led to a lot of chatter about what or who it is. It has been so fun to hear what people think she is. We have heard everything from a scarecrow to an evil character from a children’s movie.

So…what is her real story?

To understand Bean Woman, we need to talk to her creator. The man beside her in the photo is Roger Quesnel. Roger is a long-time Squamish resident who made a career in art after a skiing accident in 1991 and a surfing accident, where he lost mobility in one side of his body. At the farm, we know Roger for rolling by, waving and supporting us by buying produce. One day, he mentioned that he had a driftwood salmon he would like to gift us. He thought it would be perfect for the Indigenous Garden.

And so, our relationship began.

As the Downtown School Farm has grown outside of the fence, Roger continues to roll by. When asked about the inspiration for Bean Woman, he recalls his friend’s backyard. “There was this driftwood structure that had beans growing all through it, and I thought I could make a human structure. Just like that, the idea of Bean Woman came to be.” When asked why he chose it to be a woman instead of a man, Roger said, “It is due to the shape of the wood found. This one has a real feminine body, don’t you see?”

Thank you Roger, for your lovely donation of Bean Woman. We think she is something special. Next time you pop by the School Farm or the fields, check her out. And if you want to see more of Roger’s work, you can find him on Instagram.