Material Type

Artifact

Date

1986

Materials

CERAMIC, STONE, WOOD, PAPER

No. Pieces

2

Length

800.0

Width

100.0

Description

.1 MURAL. ABOVE DIMENSIONS. CERAMIC WITH GLAZE PIGMENTS, STONE, WOOD. THE OLD MAN'S LEGEND TITLE. THE CERAMIC IS FIRED PORCELAIN CLAY. THE MURAL CONSISTS OF APPROX. 230 PIECES, FITTED AND MOUNTED ON PRE-CUT, SHAPED 21 MM PLYWOOD. EACH CERAMIC PIECE IS FASTENED WITH GLUE OR FINISHING NAILS OR WOOD SCREWS OR A COMBINATION OF THESE. GLUE IS AN EPOXY TYPE. THE MURAL DEPICTS PRIMARY ELEMENTS OF LETHBRIDGE AND REGIONS NATURAL AND HUMAN HISTORY, WITH A MEANDERING OLDMAN RIVER PROVIDING THE CONTINOUS LINK. PRIMARY ELEMENTS INCLUDE THE COULEES, NATIVE MEDICINE WHEELS, COAL DEPOSITS AND MINING, HIGH LEVEL BRIDGE, FORT WHOOP-UP AND SETTLEMENT. .2 MACQUETTE. 42 CM X 70 CM. PAPER, WATERCOLORS. MACQUETTE CONSISTS OF PAPER, PAINTED, CUT AND GLUED TO CARDBOARD DEPICTING VARIOUS ELEMENTS OF LETHBRIDGE AND REGIONS NATURAL AND HUMAN HISTORY. MAJOR ELEMENTS INCLUDE THE RIVER AND RIVERBOTTOM, COULEES, MINE AND COAL FORMATIONS, MEDICINE WHEELS, HIGH LEVEL BRIDGE AND FORT WHOOP-UP.

Subjects

ART

Historical Association

FINE ARTS

History

NEIL LISKE COMMISSIONED BY URBAN PARKS IN 1985 TO PROVIDE A MURAL TO COMPLEMENT RIVER BOTTOM INTERPRETATION AND MUSEUM STORYLINE.(COPIES ON FILE). *UPDATE* IN 2014 COLLECTIONS ASSISTANT JANE EDMUNDSON CONDUCTED A SURVEY OF ART OBJECTS. IN THE PERMANENT FILE SHE FOUND THE BROCHURE PRODUCED BY THE GALT MUSEUM UPON THE AWARD OF THE MURAL COMMISSION TO THE ARTIST, NEIL LISKE, THAT DESCRIBES HIS INTENT AND THE MURAL'S SYMBOLISM: "CALGARY ARTIST NEIL LISKE'S MURAL IS AN ATTEMPT TO PROVIDE A BIRD'S EYE VIEW OF THE OLDMAN RIVER VALLEY. AMONG THE MEANDERING LINE OF THE RIVER, LISKE CALLS THE VIEWER'S ATTENTION TO FIVE FOCAL POINTS: THE NATIVE INFLUENCE ON THE AREA, THE COAL INDUSTRY, OUR LOCAL ENVIRONMENT, THE HIGH LEVEL BRIDGE, AND FORT WHOOP-UP. THE NATIVE INFLUENCE ON SOUTHERN ALBERTA IS REPRESENTED AT BOTH ENDS OF THE MURAL BY TWO MEDICINE WHEELS. NOT ONLY ARE THEY SEPARATED PHYSICALLY IN THE MURAL, THEY ARE WIDELY SEPARATED IN TIME. THE MEDICINE WHEEL AT THE START OF THE MURAL IS RELATED TO A KAINAI (BLOOD) CHIEF NAMED MANY SPOTTED HORSES AND DATES TO ABOUT 1880. THE MEDICINE WHEEL AT THE END OF THE MURAL IS OF A PREHISTORIC TYPE, AND THE LONGEST ARM OF THE WHEEL POINTS WEST TO THE RIVER VALLEY, WHICH IS VISIBLE BELOW THROUGH THE WINDOWS OF THE VIEWING GALLERY. TO THE RIGHT OF THE FIRST MEDICINE WHEEL, VARIOUS LAYERS OF DIFFERENT TEXTURES SYMBOLIZE THE UNDERGROUND STRATA OF THE EARTH WITH THEIR RICH COAL DEPOSITS. THESE LAYERS, BECOMING SMALLER AND SMALLER, CULMINATE IN A MINE TUNNEL'S ENTRANCE. MOVING ON FROM LEFT TO RIGHT, THE NEXT CENTRAL THEME - THAT OF THE LOCAL ENVIRONMENT - COMPRISES THE LARGEST AND MOST CENTRAL PART OF THE MURAL. THE MURAL SEEKS TO VISUALLY DESCRIBE THE PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT OF THE RIVER VALLEY, WHICH INCLUDES THE FLOODPLAIN AND THE COULEES. AREAS IN THIS SECTION, AND THROUGHOUT THE WORK, ARE FILLED WITH A VARIETY OF TEXTURES THAT RELATE TO PLANT AND ANIMAL LIFE, FOSSIL REMAINS, AND MINERAL DEPOSITS. TO THE TOP LEFT, A DARK COLOURED CHINOOK ARCH ACCENTUATES THE SKY. TO THE RIGHT, THE CLEAR SKY APPEARS AS IF IT IS AN OPEN WINDOW. TO THE IMMEDIATE RIGHT AND BORDERING ON THIS SCENE IS A DARK GEOMETRIC STRUCTURE THAT DEPICTS THE HIGH LEVEL BRIDGE, WHICH SPANS THE RIVER VALLEY. THE LAST FOCAL POINT, DIRECTLY TO THE RIGHT OF THE BRIDGE, AS A BROWN, LOG STRUCTURE. NATURALLY IT IS A STYLIZATION OF FORT WHOOP-UP, THE INFAMOUS WHISKEY TRADING POST OF THE EARLY 1870S. IN ALL, THE MURAL SYNTHESIZES ALL OF THE ELEMENTS - ENVIRONMENTAL, CULTURAL, AND INDUSTRIAL - WHICH HAVE BEEN COMBINED TO MAKE THIS AREA WHAT IT HAS BEEN IN THE PAST AND WHAT IT IS TODAY." THE MURAL WAS ORIGINALLY HUNG IN THE VIEWING GALLERY AFTER THE GALT MUSEUM'S INITIAL EXPANSION IN 1985. AFTER THE 'GROWING OUR LEGACY' EXPANSION PROJECT OF 2005-2006, THE MURAL WAS INSTALLED IN THE PUBLIC RESEARCH AREA OF ARCHIVES. THE FOLLOWING BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION ON THE ARTIST, NEIL LISKE, WAS EXCERPTED FROM HIS PROFILE ON THE WILLOCK & SAX GALLERY WEBSITE. NEIL LISKE WAS BORN IN 1936 IN GOODFARE, ALBERTA, AND RECEIVED A MASTERS OF FINE ARTS FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY. HE HAS TAUGHT CERAMICS AT MEDICINE HAT COLLEGE AND THE CLAY HOUSE IN CALGARY, AND MAINTAINS A STUDIO AT HIS HOME IN BOWNESS. LISKE HAS STEADILY EXHIBITED IN GROUP AND SOLO EXHIBITIONS SINCE THE 1970S, AND HIS WORK IS HELD IN NUMEROUS PUBLIC COLLECTIONS INCLUDING FOOTHILLS HOSPITAL, GOVERNMENT HOUSE IN EDMONTON, HUSKY OIL, AND CONFEDERATION PARK LODGE. SEE PERMANENT FILE FOR HARDCOPY OF LISKE'S ARTIST STATEMENT AND CV.

Catalogue Number

P19860103000

Acquisition Date

1986-06

Collection

Museum

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