BANNER

Description: LARGE BANNER HAS A PICTURE OF 3 CRANES ON IT (COLORED ALMOST LIKE WHOOPING CRANES), IN FRONT OF A DARK ORANGE WAVE LIKE PATTERN THAT EXTENDS ACROSS THE BANNER. ON EITHER SIDE (UPPER LEFT AND LOWER RIGHT), IS A BEIGE COLOR WITH NO DISCERNABLE PATTERN. THERE ARE NO OTHER MARKINGS ON THIS ARTIFACT. THE BANNER IS KEPT INSIDE A BOX WITH A PAPER COVERING. THE PAPER COVERING HAS A BOW DRAWN ON IT ALONG WITH A SMALL DIAMOND SHAPED DESIGN THAT IS PURPLE, ORANGE, AND GOLD PRIMARILY. THE BOXES DIMENSIONS ARE, HEIGHT- 2.4 CM, LENGTH- 25.4CM, WIDTH- 16.8CM.

History: GIFT FROM JAPAN - LETHBRIDGE STUDENT EXCHANGE PROGRAM. ACCORDING TO S.E. ASIAN PHILOSOPHY, IT IS REQUIRED THAT DURING AN OFFICIAL VISIT (LIKE A STUDENT EXCHANGE) A GIFT IS GIVEN TO THE HOST COUNTRY (IN THIS CASE CITY). THIS BANNER IS SUCH A GIFT. *UPDATE* IN 2014 COLLECTIONS ASSISTANT JANE EDMUNDSON CONDUCTED A SURVEY OF ART OBJECTS, INCLUDING THOSE INITIALLY GIVEN TO THE CITY OF LETHBRIDGE THROUGH VARIOUS EXCHANGES WITH CITIES IN JAPAN. LETHBRIDGE HERALD ARTICLES FROM 1992, 1997, AND 1998 DETAIL THREE SEPERATE EXCHANGE PROGRAMS WITH HIKARI, SEKI CITY, AND KUROHONE-MURA, JAPAN. LETHBRIDGE CITY COUNCIL DECLINED HIKARI'S OFFER OF AN OFFICIAL TWINNING ARRANGMENT IN 1992 DUE TO BUDGET LIMITATIONS AND BECAUSE OF PRIOR TWINNING WITH OTHER CITIES INCLUDING SAINT-LAURENT, QUEBEC, CULVER CITY, CALIFORNIA, AND HENGSHUI CITY, CHINA. ST. FRANCIS JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL RAN A STUDENT EXCHANGE PROGRAM WITH SEKI CITY FROM 1993 TO 2003 AND LETHBRIDGE COMMUNITY COLLEGE HOSTED STUDENTS FROM THE VILLAGE OF KURHONE ANNUALLY FROM 1994 TO 2006. DURING THESE EXCHANGES, DELEGATES FROM THE JAPANESE CITIES REGULARLY MET WITH LETHBRIDGE MAYOR DAVID CARPENTER AND GAVE CEREMONIAL GIFTS, AS IS CUSTOM IN JAPAN. SEE PERMANENT FILE P19980048017 FOR HARDCOPIES OF SOURCE NEWSPAPER ARTICLES.