It was due for a complete refurbish, but what it received was so much more.
The Stephen Barr Memorial, Myles MacDonald’s 2009 teak and steel mixed media public art piece at the west entrance to Servus Credit Union Place, was taken down in 2020 for some regularly scheduled maintenance. Its 10 years hung on the outside of a building means about 400 harsh and unforgiving Alberta seasons for a 2.1-metre-by-4.6-metre artistic monument to stand up to.
“It did what it was supposed to. It was supposed to weather. It was supposed to have that patina to it, but the reality is that there was some wind fatigue,” MacDonald admitted on Thursday after the work was returned to its home and to its former glory.
“After 10 years and I had it in my shop, I thought that the piece deserved to be finished the way I wanted it to be finished 10 years ago. Ten years ago, the timeline was shortened up. I didn't have the skills I have now. I learned how to be a little more resourceful with my time. What I did this time is I tore the piece completely apart,” he said.
With a COVID year to both buff it up, aesthetically speaking, and beef it up, architecturally speaking, the artist went back to work with his self-admitted "Tim Burton" design style. Originally inspired by architect Barr’s own illustrations and artistic style, MacDonald created this piece with a faceless goalie, a wheelchair athlete, and a runner, all spaced across musical bars.
Wheelchair Jerry, as the artist calls the second figure, wasn’t finished the way he was supposed to be until now.
“He never got the love he needed 10 years ago. Wheelchair Jerry got a complete makeover: he got the heart he was supposed to have 10 years ago, and his arms, and his medal. I'm very happy with him.”
There are also a few good splashes of colour that weren’t there previously. The goaltender on the left now has a noticeable Humboldt Broncos logo on its helmet.
"During the time repairs were being discussed, Myles had conversations with the Barr family regarding his ideas about the additions to the sculpture," said Elizabeth Wilkie, senior manager with the city's community services department.
The Barr family approved the changes to the artwork.
“After going through COVID and everything being so dark for the last year-and-a-half, I just thought the piece needed some colour, and needed to be bright. It needed to be uplifting and positive,” said MacDonald.
Further to that bright intention, a light timer on a string of LED lights was also added on the sculpture, so it will light up in the evenings, Wilkie noted.
The artist called it "a really actually pleasurable experience" to remove the work and redo it and put it up properly, giving a lot of credit to the city to make sure he had enough support to do things properly, and have the work last for much longer than a decade going into the future.
