Legal's leaders loomed large this week as artists unveiled a mural dedicated to famous local politicians.
Guests gathered at the Legal Cultural Centre Monday evening for their first look at the town's 35th mural.
The five-metre by three-metre triptych depicts the town's most famous political leaders set against views of the town, the Alberta Legislature and the Parliament building. It will be mounted on the outside of the town's administration office later this spring.
This mural is meant to encourage people to take pride in Legal's many leaders, says Ernest Chauvet, co-ordinator of the mural project for the Centralta Tourism Society. "People may not be aware for a small community how many [local] people there are that have served at a higher level."
Legal now has about one mural for every 37 residents, Chauvet notes, which makes it a serious contender for the title of mural capital of the world on a per-capita basis. "We can confidently claim that no other place in the world has such a per-capita ratio of murals."
The Gazette was unable to verify this claim, but notes that Chemainus, B.C., another small town with many murals, has a mural-to-person ratio of about 0.01 — Legal's is about 0.03. Los Angeles and Philadelphia also have claims to be the mural capital of the world.
Legal legends
Legal artist Karen Blanchet says she finished the mural about two years ago — it's only being revealed now due to scheduling problems. She has previously painted the town's murals of the Grey Nuns, Charrois family and Bishop Legal.
This piece was the biggest she'd ever painted, says Blanchet, who is also president of the St. Albert Painters' Guild. "It has broadened my horizons completely. There's nothing I won't undertake anymore."
Each panel represents a different level of government, Chauvet explains — local, provincial and federal — and portrays politicians who lived in Legal. The bottom panel features a scroll with the names of the town's 29 mayors, including current Mayor Albert St. Jean.
Up top is Sen. Claudette Tardif, who learned French in Legal, and Walter Van De Walle, the region's member of Parliament from 1986 to 1993. "He brought heavy rail to Legal for the alfalfa plant," Chauvet says, adding the plant is now the only alfalfa plant in Western Canada.
In the middle are MLAs Télesphore St. Arnaud, Lionel Tellier and David Broda.
St. Arnaud was the first mayor of Legal, Chauvet says, and brought telephone service to the community. He later represented the region in the legislature from 1921 to 1926 as a member of the United Farmers of Alberta.
Blanchet says she didn't have any colour pictures of St. Arnaud to work with, so she had to use some artistic license in his illustration. "I don't know that his eyes were blue, but they are now!"
Tellier was the independent MLA for Legal from 1940 to 1944, Chauvet says. A lawyer, Tellier defended Legal resident Alex Lavoie in 1941 after he was fined $7,700 for not filling out his census forms on time — Lavoie was late because the forms were in English, and he only read French. As detailed in another mural, Tellier won the case, prompting the federal government to start printing its forms in both French and English.
Broda, Progressive Conservative MLA for Legal from 1997 to 2004, is best known as the author of the 1999 Broda report on long-term care in Alberta. He died in a car crash in June 2010.
Broda helped Legal get funding for its cultural centre, Blanchet says, and was an enthusiastic supporter of this mural. "He was so excited, and he never got to see it."
Community pride
Legal plans to unveil 10 more murals this year depicting subjects such as Irish immigration, the Knights of Columbus and the 4-H movement, Chauvet says.
The murals have drawn tourists to the town and its people closer together, Chauvet says. "It's exceeded my expectations in many ways."
Blanchet says she hopes the mural inspires future leaders to take responsibility for their actions. "That's a good sign for any leader: to step out and do what they think is best."
