Date Range

1925-2013

Fonds No.

Fonds

Creator

Michael Pisko, City Sign Company

Physical Description

36 cm of textual records; 71 photographic prints; 2 negatives

History Biographical

Michael Pisko was an artist and a local businessman. Born in Lethbridge in 1913, Pisko took up art at a young age. He studied industrial electricity at the Institute of Technology and Art in Calgary. He moved back to Lethbridge where he began working in the local sign business after he graduated during the Great Depression. Throughout his time at the sign company, he sketched and continued his artistic passion. He went on to study with artists such as A.Y. Jackson, Marion Nicoll and H. G. Glyde, attending the University of Alberta and the Banff School of Fine Arts. Southern Alberta proved to be an endless source of inspiration for Pisko’s artwork, where he created many oil paintings of the local landscape. The Galt Museum & Archives holds many of Pisko’s paintings in the Collections Department. Eventually taking over the City Sign Company, Pisko used his artistic skills to show his appreciation and talents to the Lethbridge business community. Pisko won many local art contests and was able to design signs for the Lethbridge Senior Centre, to which he was an active member, as well as the crest for Catholic Central High School, and many others. He was an active and founding member of the Lethbridge Sketch Club, and was a lifetime member of the Alberta Society of Artists. After his passing in 1999, the Michael Pisko Memorial Award at the University of Lethbridge was established to continue Pisko’s legacy of promoting beauty and passion.

Scope and Content

2020.1031/001: Pisko Family Photographs and Sign Designs. 5 prints. 1925-1984. 2020.1031/002: Business Records Book #1. Records for the City Sign Company. 1949-1951. 2020.1031/003: Unity Building Business Records Book. 1958-1964. 2020.1031/004: Business Records Book #2. Records for the City Sign Company. 1973-1976. 2020.1031/005: Business Records Book #3. Records for the City Sign Company. 1947-1949. 2020.1031/006: Business Records Book #4. Records for the City Sign Company. 1951-1953. 2020.1031/007: General Ledger Index – The City Sign Co. Records. 1963. 2020. 1031/008: Correspondences. 1971-2005. 2020.1031/009: Sketch Books. 2 sketch books of Pisko’s. 1937-1980. 2020.1031/010: Lethbridge Senior Centre Media Coverage. 1 photographic print. 1987-1993. 2020.1031/011: Legal Agreements Between M. Pisko and N. Hall. 1951-1968. 2020.1031/012: Letters between Pisko and the Carmangay and District Agricultural Society and the Grape Growers Guild of Southern Alberta. 1979. 2020.1031/013: Audited Financial Records – Sample: Part I. 1963-1978. 2020.1031/014: Audited Financial Records – Sample: Part II. 1963-1964. 2020. 1031/015: LCI Spotlite: Students’ Union Annual Publications. 1956-1958. 2020.1031/016: Junior High Yearbooks – Wilson and Hamilton Junior Highs. 1953-1954. 2020.1031/017: Lethbridge Herald coverage of Artwork. 3 photographic prints, 1 negative.1954-1998. 2020.1031/018: Downtown LA Logo. 1988. 2020.1031/019: Miscellaneous Logo Designs: Fish & Game Association, Waterton Heritage Centre, The Wild Rose LSCO Paper, etc. 1985-1988. 2020.1031/020: Miscellaneous Correspondences, Articles, and Notes on his Paintings. 1967-1995. 2020.1031/021: The Life of an Alberta Coal Miner – Berlando Family booklet. 1993. 2020.1031/022: The CP Rail High Level Bridge at Lethbridge – booklet. 1977-1981. 2020.1031/023: Greeting Cards: Part I. 1 photographic print. 1949-1970. 2020.1031/024: Greeting Cards: Part II. 4 photographic prints. 1957-1972. 2020.1031/025: Sporting Legends of the South – book by Garry Allison. 2013. 2020.1031/026: The big little City – booklet. 1977? 2020.1031/027: Miscellaneous Correspondences, Notes, Biographical Information, etc. 1984-2000. 2020.1031/028: Biographical Information, Note on the ‘Golden Mile Dancers’ Painting and ‘L.S.C.O. Square Dancers’ Logos. 1986-1995. 2020.1031/029: Photographs of M. Pisko and Tributes to Ted Faiers. 19 photographic prints, incl. Lethbridge Sketch Club members, 1930-1989. 2020.1031/030: ‘Biography’ Binder. Sketches of animals, cartoons and other drawings that Pisko practiced for his sign designs. 2 photographic prints. 1973. 2020.1031/031: Groups/Organizations Pisko Supported. 1988-2011. 2020.1031/032: Sketch Club Photographs. 3 photographic prints. 1937-1938. 2020.1031/033: Sketchbook – Pencil and Pen Sketches. 196-? 2020.1031/034: Photographs and Articles on M. Pisko and his Artwork. 7 prints. 1960-1990. 2020.1031/035: Retrospective – Art Show. 7 photographic prints of people at Pisko’s art show, ‘Retrospective’. 1990. 2020.1031/036: More Sign Designs and other Miscellaneous Photographs. 6 photo prints. 1963-1998. 2020. 1031/037: Christmas Sign Designs. 1956-1983. 2020.1031/038: Scrapbook of letters, Herald articles and other items. 13 photographic prints. 1934-1990. 2020.1031/039: Stock Records of materials used by the City Sign Company. 1949-1961. 2020.1031/040: License for the City Sign Company. 1963-1964. 2020.1031/041: Miscellaneous Notes and Papers about the City Sign Company. 1958-1961. 2020.1031/042: Customer Sign List and Details. List of customers and the signs the City Sign Company designed for them. 1955-1956. 2020.1031/043: Tech-Art Record Year Book. The yearbook for the Institute of Technology and Art in Calgary that Pisko attended. 1932-1933.

Accession No.

20201031

Collection

Archive

Less detail