A seven-foot tall bronze wolf will soon greet visitors travelling through Prince Albert.
The sculpture, being done by Saskatchewan artist Joe Fafard, was commissioned by the Mann Art Gallery.
Jesse Campbell, curator at the gallery, said it’s been a long time coming.
She said they’ve been fundraising to acquire the sculpture since 2011.
“We’ve been lucky since 2013 to really bolster our fundraising for this, both through events like Wolf Back a Beer as well as through the acquisition of grants.”
They received a grant for $30,000 from the Canada Council for the Arts.
Campbell said 2013 and 2014 were major years in fundraising for the sculpture.
“This means we are about $15,000 away from our goal of getting that wolf.”
Once complete, the sculpture will stand on a stone slab at the entrance to the E.A. Rawlinson Centre for the Arts parking lot.
Campbell said they don’t have a fixed date yet for its installment outside the gallery, but it will be sometime in the spring of 2016.
“It will be visible from the Second Avenue bridge area as well as coming down 12th Street, if you go anywhere near the (Provincial Court House) or the E.A. Rawlinson Centre, you will see that wolf,” Campbell said.
In 2011, the gallery was in touch with Joe Fafard and his art dealers as the gallery is always keeping up to date with what Saskatchewan artists are doing.
“Joe Fafard is not only a major artist in Saskatchewan, but across the country, and even internationally,” said Campbell. “He has shows in Paris, his works are in downtown Toronto and Ottawa, they’re just absolutely everywhere, but he’s a Saskatchewan boy, at his heart he loves the prairies.”
Campbell said she got a sense of his love for the province after visiting him last month at his bronze foundry in Pence.
“He’s a major contributor to the arts world … most of his work is concentrated in the Regina area, some in Saskatoon, and there’s nothing really in the northcentral part of the province,” she said. “So we talked with him and he was saying he has a great mold he’s designed for a big bronze wolf sculpture and that he would be able to give us a deal.”
Campbell said Fafard was able to commission the sculpture for $110,000 (plus tax), when the actual cost would have been over $200,000
“So we thought this was a perfect opportunity to bring some fantastic art to Prince Albert. Even more so it’s a visual icon for the city and the northcentral region of the province,” said Campbell.
She said public art can be a great thing for a city, as “It enhances the pride in your city and heritage of your place. It acknowledges, especially with Joe’s work, some of that natural heritage we often see in the north.”
Campbell said they want to get people excited about art and Saskatchewan culture.
“We hope that this piece will really be the start of that for Prince Albert.”
On her visit to Fafard’s bronze foundry Campbell got a chance to see the wolf sculpture in person.
“It just impressed me so much, I walked in to the room and I gasped. It was really impressive, it’s an amazing piece. Fafard is such a wonderful artist and we’re so lucky he’s go generous in giving us this great deal and putting together this work of art for us.”
Campbell said up next is another Wolf Back a Beer event at the E.A. Rawlinson Centre on Jan. 22 at 7 p.m.
“This is our big beer tasting event, so we bring in different breweries … they come up and they have all their newest beers available to taste.”
Local breweries will include the Prince Albert Brewing Company, Black Bridge Brewery from Swift Current and Big Rock Brewery from Calgary.
“We also bring in about 10 different other beers that aren’t affiliated with those breweries. We try to bring in a variety of beers from around the world.”
Advanced tickets are $20, while tickets at the door will be $25.
Campbell said a ticket will get you five tastings, and people who would like to try more can purchase a full beer.
Tickets are available at the Mann Art Gallery at 142 – 12th Street West.
There will also be food at the event provided by Rock Trout Café along with live music and raffles.
swallace@panow.com
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