Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

CHRISTMAS CARD

Date Range From

1960

Date Range To

1970

Materials

PAPER

No. Pieces

1

Length

22.3

Width

17.4

Description

FLAT BLACK CARD WITH PEAKED TOP EDGE. SLIGHTLY TAPERED IN SHAPE TOWARD BOTTOM. PINK CROSS STENCILLED ON CARD, WITH FOUR GREEN TRIANGLES RADIATING FROM CENTRE. PINK CIRCLE IN LOWER LEFT CORNER, WITH THIN GREEN CROSS INTERSECTING IT. CLOUD-LIKE FORMATIONS THROUGHOUT REST OF CARD, IN GREEN. WRITTEN IN CIRCLE AT BOTTOM LEFT IS "MICHAEL ISABELLE & RICHARD". AT BACK IS "CLIFFORD RUTH & THEIR LOVELY DAUGHTERS MERRY CHRISTMAS". PIECE OF TAPE AT LEFT WITH "READS" HANDWRITTEN. ALSO CENTENNIAL STAMP AT TOP WITH "CANADA" AND TREE PRINTED ON IT. HANDWRITTEN "1964".

Subjects

DOCUMENTARY ARTIFACT

Historical Association

COMMEMORATIVE

History

GIVEN TO DONOR BY LOCAL ARTIST MIKE PISKO AND FAMILY, WHO WERE CLOSE FRIENDS OF THE DAWS. *UPDATE* IN 2014 COLLECTIONS ASSISTANT JANE EDMUNDSON CONDUCTED A SURVEY OF ART OBJECTS. THE FOLLOWING BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION ON MICHAEL PISKO WAS FOUND IN A PRESS RELEASE ANNOUNCING THE 'MICHAEL PISKO MEMORIAL AWARD', WHICH WAS ESTABLISHED BY THE ARTIST'S WIDOW AND THE ALBERTA SOCIETY OF ARTISTS IN 2000, TO BE AWARDED TO A GRADUATING BFA DEGREE PAINTER FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF LETHBRIDGE: "MICHAEL PISKO WAS BORN IN LETHBRIDGE IN 1913. HE MADE HIS LIVING AS A SUCCESSFUL SIGN PAINTER THROUGH HIS BUSINESS, CITY SIGN COMPANY, BUT LANDSCAPE PAINTING WAS HIS LIFE'S FULFILLMENT. TO HONE HIS SKILLS, HE STUDIED THREE SUMMERS AT THE BANFF SCHOOL OF FINE ARTS AND SOUGHT INSTRUCTION FROM SENIOR VISITING ARTISTS WHO CAME TO LETHBRIDGE ON INVITATION OF THE LETHBRIDGE SKETCH CLUB, OF WHICH HE, IN 1937, WAS ONE OF THE FOUNDING MEMBERS. PISKO GREATLY ADMIRED A.Y. JACKSON, THE GROUP OF SEVEN MASTER, WITH WHOM HE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO SKETCH AND PAINT AROUND LETHBRIDGE WHENEVER JACKSON CAME TO TOWN TO VISIT HIS BROTHER. HE WAS ALSO DEEPLY INFLUENCED BY H.G. GLYDE, WHO TAUGHT AT THE ALBERTA COLLEGE OF ART IN CALGARY AND AT THE BANFF SCHOOL OF FINE ARTS AND WHO VISITED LETHBRIDGE TO TEACH ART CLASSES AT THE LETHBRIDGE SKETCH CLUB. IN 1947 PISKO WAS ACCEPTED FOR MEMBERSHIP IN THE ALBERTA SOCIETY OF ARTISTS. HE WAS A PROLIFIC PAINTER, WHO EXHIBITED REGULARLY WITH THE LETHBRIDGE SKETCH CLUB AND THE ALBERTA SOCIETY OF ARTISTS. HIS WORK IS REPRESENTED IN MANY PRIVATE, CORPORATE AND PUBLIC COLLECTIONS, AMONG THEM THE ALBERTA FOUNDATION FOR THE ARTS AND THE UNIVERSITY OF LETHBRIDGE. MICHAEL PISKO PASSED AWAY IN 1999." THE LETHBRIDGE SKETCH CLUB HELD THEIR FIRST MEETING AT THE HOME OF MISS ANNA MACKENZIE ON OCTOBER 7, 1936. EDITH FANNY KIRK WAS THE FIRST ART TEACHER IN LETHBRIDGE. SHE CAME FROM BRITAIN WITH CLASSICAL TRAINING AND IT WAS KIRK WHO SET THE STAGE FOR THE SKETCH CLUB TO COME INTO BEING. THE BANFF SCHOOL OF FINE ARTS ALSO PLAYED A ROLE IN THE FORMATION BY PROVIDING RECOGNITION OF ARTISTIC MERIT THROUGH DISTRICT SCHOLARSHIPS. ANNA MACKENZIE AND P.J. COLLINS CONCEIVED OF THE CLUB AFTER THEIR EXPERIENCE IN BANFF. THE GROUP WAS FORMED OUT OF AN ENTHUSIASTIC INTEREST IN ART AND SOON AFTER THE GROUP BEGAN MEETING, THERE WERE REGULAR EXHIBITIONS. THE GROUP WAS PRIVY TO THE ATTENTION OF GROUP OF SEVEN ARTIST A.Y.JACKSON WHEN HE MADE HIS FREQUENT SKETCHING TRIPS TO SOUTHERN ALBERTA. HE REGULARLY ACCOMPANIED THE SKETCH CLUB AND HIS INFLUENCE CAN BE SEEN IN MUCH OF THEIR WORK. ANOTHER GUEST OF THE GROUP WAS ANNORA BROWN WHO WAS AN ARTIST WHO HAD TRAINED IN TORONTO, BUT RESIDED IN FORT MACLEOD AND BEGAN SPENDING TIME WITH THE GROUP IN 1939. HER INTEREST IN FLOWER STUDIES IS SUSPECTED TO HAVE INSPIRED MANY OF THE WORKS BY CLUB MEMBERS. DURING THE SUMMER MONTHS, THE GROUP ORGANIZED SUMMER CLASSES TAUGHT BY OUT OF TOWN ARTISTS SUCH AS: H.G.GLYDE, WALTER J. PHILIPS AND A.C. LEIGHTON. ACCORDING TO A HISTORY OF THE LETHBRIDGE SKETCH CLUB WRITTEN BY JOAN STEBBINS IN JUNE, 1985, “THE PAINTINGS OF THE LETHBRIDGE SKETCH CLUB PORTRAY FAVOURITE SKETCHING AREAS IN THE REGION – THE COULEES PROVIDED ENDLESS MATERIAL, THE RIVERBOTTOM, THE OLD R.C.M.P. BARRACKS, THE WHITNEY FARM, HENDERSON LAKE, THE FELGER HUTTERITE COLONY, THE FOOTHILLS AND WATERTON LAKE WERE OFTEN REPEATED SUBJECTS.” FOR COPIES OF LETHBRIDGE HERALD ARTICLES ON PISKO AND HIS CAREER, AS WELL AS PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS FOR THE 1995 ARTWALK DEDICATED TO HIM, SEE PERMANENT FILE P19920009001. *UPDATE* IN 2018, COLLECTIONS INTERN KIRSTAN SCHAMUHN CONDUCTED A SURVEY OF PERSONAL ARTIFACTS. ON 26 NOVEMBER 2018, SCHAMUHN INTERVIEWED RUTH DAW REGARDING HER PRREVIOUS DONATIONS. THE INFORMATION BELOW HAS BEEN EXTRACTED FROM THAT INTERVIEW: WHEN ASKED ABOUT HER RELATIONSHIP WITH THE PISKO FAMILY, DAW RECALLED, “THE BOY WAS A STUDENT IN MY CLASSES, [IN] ABOUT 1952 SO I GOT TO KNOW HIM. MICHAEL WAS HIS STEP-DAD. HE WAS A SIGN PAINTER AT THAT TIME AND SO WE GOT TO KNOW THEM AND [WERE] VERY INTERESTED IN THE PICTURES—WE STILL HAVE QUITE A FEW OF HIS PICTURES.” “WHEN THE NORTH SIDE SCHOOLS OPENED, RICHARD [PISKO] WENT OVER TO THE NORTH SIDE AND SO HE WAS WITH MY HUSBAND IN WINSTON CHURCHILL FOR QUITE A TIME THERE. AND THAT’S WHY I MAY HAVE GIVEN THESE.” WHEN ASKED ABOUT HER INTEREST AND INVOLVEMENT WITH THE LETHBRIDGE SKETCH CLUB, DAW ELABORATED, “IT WAS PROBABLY THE 1970S. THAT WAS WHEN I WENT BACK TO WORK AND WE HAD A NEWER HOUSE. WE MOVED TO A BIGGER HOUSE, AND THAT WAS PROBABLY WHERE I GOT THE PICTURES, FOR THAT.” “WE [RUTH AND CLIFF DAW] WEREN’T ACTUALLY INVOLVED WITH THEM. WE WERE APPRECIATORS.” “WE LIKED THE ART. MY HUSBAND [CLIFF DAW] WAS AWARE OF THE GOOD ARTISTS THAT WERE AVAILABLE. MY FAMILY HAD NEVER SPENT ANY MONEY ON ANYTHING LIKE THAT AT ALL, SO I BECAME AWARE OF IT AND SINCE WE WERE [IN A] NEW HOUSE WE WERE HAVING DIFFERENT SORTS OF THINGS. EVERYTHING WAS NEW AND EVERYTHING WAS AVAILABLE SO WE JUST WENT WITH THE FLOW.” PLEASE SEE PERMANENT FILE P19970055001 FOR MORE INFORMATION INCLUDING THE FULL INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPTION AND COPIES OF ARTICLES REGARDING THE FAMILY HISTORY.

Catalogue Number

P19970055013

Acquisition Date

1997-06

Collection

Museum

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