On a routine Thursday morning at work, Stanley Yeung is outside in the sunshine polishing an eight-foot statue of a dancing bear. It resembles a giant Inuit carving, perfectly smooth and dark in colour with only its shape to reveal the bear, one paw turned upward with sharp points for claws.

It has come to Artcast Inc. of Georgetown for repair. Produced by another foundry, it was inadequately installed outside the Macdonald Stewart Art Centre in Guelph and over time became loose on its footings. Aware of Artcast’s reputation, the gallery sent it there to be improved and made secure.

Stanley, a patina specialist who finishes sculptures to the right colour and texture, is buffing the bear so that it shines. When Artcast produces and installs a bronze sculpture it will, as founder Eric Knoespel says, "last for a thousand years".

There’s every chance that Artcast’s work will endure. In its forty years of existence it has helped to create some of Canada’s most significant sculptures. The best known may be the Juno Beach memorial by Colin Gibson, properly called Remembrance and Renewal and recently installed in Normandy, France.

Another noteworthy work is The Endless Bench by Lea Vivot. Which is situated in front of Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children, and was initially controversial because one of the figures is a mother nursing an infant. Popular with tourist photographers is Ruth Abernethy’s life-sized sculpture of Glenn Gould on a bench outside the CBC building in Toronto. People delight in sitting next to Gould, feeling as if they are in conversation with the famous musician.

An early important work is Leo Mol’s 1986 statue of John Diefenbaker, which was the first bronze sculpture of a Canadian prime minister to be cast in Canada and placed on Parliament Hill in Ottawa.

Artcast was critical to the successful installation of the ceremonial arch at the entrance to Calgary’s 1988 Winter Olympic Village. It consists of a huge 5,500-kilogram bent steel arch that appears to be supported by eight life-size figures created by Colette Whiten.

"The tricky part is that only six of the figures carry the weight," says Eric, explaining that two of the figures appear to be pushing on the steel. "Everything had to be reinforced with steel bars that come out of the feet into the ground. The artist had the idea, but we had to make it happen".

Artcast was able to provide an easy solution to another artistic challenge. A few years ago, three artists had an idea for a sculpture of two thousand thumbprints from people in Kitchener and Berlin, but didn’t know how to produce it. Mona Melançon, Eric’s daughter who works at Artcast, showed them bronze plates of thumbprints that have been given to prospective customers as samples for about thirty years.

"We can cast the finest detail," declares Eric. "You can see the fingerprints, if they’re wanted, on a work after it has been cast".

The three artists put together twenty panels of one hundred thumbprints and retained the identity of each one. The piece, entitled Millennium Thumbprints, now hangs outside Kitchener’s City Hall.

Artcast is also known for producing excellent small works such as medals and signs. The Prince of Wales Hotel in Niagara-on-the-Lake had Artcast make bronze door signs. Artcast also produces the Dora Mavor Moore awards that have been given to the Toronto theatrical community for twenty-five years. Artcast can create bronze pieces from hockey whistles, baseballs, and even pine cones. There’s a joke around the company that if it doesn’t move, it will be cast in bronze.

The works are created through a technique called the "lost wax process". This involves making a rubber mould from an original, then using the mould to make a wax duplicate which is encased in a ceramic shell, and then later melted out before the molten bronze is poured in to form the sculpture.

Artcast grew out of a precision casting company called Mid Canadian Investment Castings Ltd. that Eric and two partners started in Georgetown in 1964. Eric had experience in all phases of precision casting at a company in Brampton. Mid Canadian Investment concentrated on casting for the aircraft and aerospace industries, but sculptors were also searching for good casting and processing services, and an art casting department was created within the company. In 1969 Mid Canadian Investment was renamed Cercor, and Artcast became a division. Eric eventually purchased the Artcast division and established it at 14 Armstrong Avenue in Georgetown as an independent foundry for art castings.

Joining Stanley Yeung on staff are thirteen people, most of who have been with the company for several years. Many have experience in all the technical positions of mould makers, wax technicians, ceramic shell technicians, foundry operators, casters, welders, finishers and patina technicians.

Yuri Kaplunovich is working in the wax room on a figure woven out of willow by Dawn MacNutt. The delicate piece is intricate. "This piece looks absolutely uncastable," says Yuri, "but we can do it. You have to think of every single step – how the metal will flow from the bottom to the top".

Yuri is one of the staff members who is also an artist. Clint Crowell, also in the wax room, dabbles in pottery, portraits and landscape paintings. He enjoys the variety of work he sees at Artcast. "The pieces are always changing," he says. "They’re all good to look at and work on, but the portrait sculptures are my favourite".

David Chadwick has been with Artcast for eighteen years and is now in charge of the ceramic shell room and the casting foundry. Although his work can be heavy, hot and uncomfortable, he says he likes all aspects of his job. "Art is always going through here," he points out. "It’s always stimulating. There’s never a dull moment". While he remembers the Juno Beach piece as a career highlight, he also mentions the small figurines created by Julie Campagna. "I enjoy her work," David explains. "She really puts her feelings out there".

Working with Stanley in the finishing room is Jim Wilson, another long-time employee. With skills in welding, Jim puts the cast pieces together seamlessly and consults with the artists to produce the right texture and colour on the finished work. "There’s something different every day," he says. "All of it is somebody’s fine art. Every piece is individual".

Eric’s son Marcus is the plant manager and has worked at every job in the art casting process. Although he needs to look after the business end of things, he prefers to work out back. "I like working with my hands, and don’t like paperwork. I prefer grinding a cast".

One good thing about the office is that his wife Cathy works there. When it’s time to cast the pieces though, Marcus is helping in the foundry. "It’s a neat process, with all that heat and fire. It’s my favourite part of the job. Everything comes together there. I can make any needed decisions about the piece right there".

With forty years of sculpture casting experience, the future of the Knoespel family business looks strong. "Artcast’s work is appreciated and needed by artists," declares Marcus. "It’s not a buggy-whip industry that will disappear. My goal is to hand the business off to the next generation".