“There’s so much untapped creativity in the city that can make things beautiful — we just have to creatively enable the creators.”
Paul Sisetski, a Sherbrooke Community Centre resident, poses with his painting, The Long Road Home, outside the Drinkle building art wall on Aug. 2, where his artwork is being added this week.Photo by Matt Smith /Saskatoon StarPhoenix
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Created in 2020 by Drinkle Building owner Dave Denny, the Drinkle art wall spans the side of the Third Avenue building and down the alleyway toward Second Avenue, with the Paramount, the Rook and Raven and the Ferguson Block buildings also participating.
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With no rules and only guidelines forbidding hate and encouraging respect, the wall is open to all artists. Denny said they even receive international submissions.
This week, nearly 30 new pieces are being added to the wall, including works from Sherbrook Creative Arts, Future Artistic Minds and a Ukrainian war victim.
Denny chatted with the StarPhoenix about the project and these new submissions.
SASKATOON, SK–AUGUST 2/2022 – 0803 news drinkle art q&a – Artists Paul Sisetski, Ailah Carpenter, Nikki Sirett, Noah Roy, Sleazy, and Charli (left to right) are all being featured on the Drinkle building art wall. Photo taken in Saskatoon, SK on Tuesday, August 2, 2022.Photo by Matt Smith /Saskatoon StarPhoenix
Q: What prompted you to start this art wall?
A: I think we have a philosophy to use art to activate the building. We really have done it since 2007, when we put up the seven faces and added all of the art downstairs in the mall. As we learned about street art, it just became obvious that we’ve got this massive wall — why aren’t we letting people use it?
SASKATOON, SK–AUGUST 2/2022 – 0803 news drinkle art q&a – Nikki Sirett sits with her art piece Big Blue Fox outside the Drinkle building, where her artwork is being added this week. Photo taken in Saskatoon, SK on Tuesday, August 2, 2022.Photo by Matt Smith /Saskatoon StarPhoenix
Q: What’s your favourite thing about this project?
A: My favourite thing is meeting all of the artists. I’ve really gotten to know so many people that I wouldn’t have known otherwise. In fact, some of them have become tenants in the building. Some of them paint the inside of the building as well.
Almost every second time I walk past the wall, there’s somebody taking a photograph of themselves. We’ve had dance troops come and do dance videos in front of it. You feel like you’ve really done something for people when they’re just using it.
SASKATOON, SK–AUGUST 2/2022 – 0803 news drinkle art q&a – Sleazy stands in front of his artwork on the Drinkle building, which has several of his pieces on display. Photo taken in Saskatoon, SK on Tuesday, August 2, 2022.Photo by Matt Smith /Saskatoon StarPhoenix
Q: How is this new installation unique?
A: What’s really special this time is the diversity of people. From a 100-year-old senior to a young graffiti writer, to a Ukrainian activist living under the bombs of Russia right now, to a woman in New Orleans who’s concerned about reproductive rights. We have a Cree artist, Brody Burns, and then probably one of the best street artists in North America, Wizwon, who is Métis.
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Ailah Carpenter poses with their painting outside the Drinkle building, where their artwork is being added this week. Photo taken in Saskatoon, SK on Tuesday, August 2, 2022.Photo by Matt Smith /Saskatoon StarPhoenix
Q: What are you excited to see go up on the wall?
A: I think we’re gonna get a lot of real high quality stuff. We’ve got a giant head, it’s a three-dimensional head that was finished by a First Nations artist; it was done by a Czech artist originally, at the U of S. That head is going to have motion sensor eyeballs in it, and it’s going to point back in the alley. We’re also adding a bunch of lighting on the side of the building, just to brighten up and really activate our alleyway.
Charli sits with their painting Mothman Says outside the Drinkle building, where their artwork is being added this week. Photo taken in Saskatoon, SK on Tuesday, August 2, 2022.Photo by Matt Smith /Saskatoon StarPhoenix
Q: What do you hope people take away from this project?
A: My biggest hope is that people realize that, through creativity, we can see how much we’re all alike, regardless of race or age or abilities. And there’s so much untapped creativity in the city that can make things beautiful — we just have to creatively enable the creators. If that became a political ideal, and people could use this to come together more, that would be what I hope people would get from this.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Noah Roy stands with his painting Ethereal Ethal outside the Drinkle building art wall, where their artwork is being added this week. Photo taken in Saskatoon, SK on Tuesday, August 2, 2022.Photo by Matt Smith /Saskatoon StarPhoenix
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LONDON (AP) — With a few daubs of a paintbrush, the Brontë sisters have got their dots back.
More than eight decades after it was installed, a memorial to the three 19th-century sibling novelists in London’s Westminster Abbey was amended Thursday to restore the diaereses – the two dots over the e in their surname.
The dots — which indicate that the name is pronounced “brontay” rather than “bront” — were omitted when the stone tablet commemorating Charlotte, Emily and Anne was erected in the abbey’s Poets’ Corner in October 1939, just after the outbreak of World War II.
They were restored after Brontë historian Sharon Wright, editor of the Brontë Society Gazette, raised the issue with Dean of Westminster David Hoyle. The abbey asked its stonemason to tap in the dots and its conservator to paint them.
“There’s no paper record for anyone complaining about this or mentioning this, so I just wanted to put it right, really,” Wright said. “These three Yorkshire women deserve their place here, but they also deserve to have their name spelled correctly.”
It’s believed the writers’ Irish father Patrick changed the spelling of his surname from Brunty or Prunty when he went to university in England.
Raised on the wild Yorkshire moors, all three sisters died before they were 40, leaving enduring novels including Charlotte’s “Jane Eyre,” Emily’s “Wuthering Heights” and Anne’s “The Tenant of Wildfell Hall.”
Rebecca Yorke, director of the Brontë Society, welcomed the restoration.
“As the Brontës and their work are loved and respected all over the world, it’s entirely appropriate that their name is spelled correctly on their memorial,” she said.
In a case that has sent shockwaves through the Vancouver Island art community, a local art dealer has been charged with one count of fraud over $5,000. Calvin Lucyshyn, the former operator of the now-closed Winchester Galleries in Oak Bay, faces the charge after police seized hundreds of artworks, valued in the tens of millions of dollars, from various storage sites in the Greater Victoria area.
Alleged Fraud Scheme
Police allege that Lucyshyn had been taking valuable art from members of the public under the guise of appraising or consigning the pieces for sale, only to cut off all communication with the owners. This investigation began in April 2022, when police received a complaint from an individual who had provided four paintings to Lucyshyn, including three works by renowned British Columbia artist Emily Carr, and had not received any updates on their sale.
Further investigation by the Saanich Police Department revealed that this was not an isolated incident. Detectives found other alleged victims who had similar experiences with Winchester Galleries, leading police to execute search warrants at three separate storage locations across Greater Victoria.
Massive Seizure of Artworks
In what has become one of the largest art fraud investigations in recent Canadian history, authorities seized approximately 1,100 pieces of art, including more than 600 pieces from a storage site in Saanich, over 300 in Langford, and more than 100 in Oak Bay. Some of the more valuable pieces, according to police, were estimated to be worth $85,000 each.
Lucyshyn was arrested on April 21, 2022, but was later released from custody. In May 2024, a fraud charge was formally laid against him.
Artwork Returned, but Some Remain Unclaimed
In a statement released on Monday, the Saanich Police Department confirmed that 1,050 of the seized artworks have been returned to their rightful owners. However, several pieces remain unclaimed, and police continue their efforts to track down the owners of these works.
Court Proceedings Ongoing
The criminal charge against Lucyshyn has not yet been tested in court, and he has publicly stated his intention to defend himself against any pending allegations. His next court appearance is scheduled for September 10, 2024.
Impact on the Local Art Community
The news of Lucyshyn’s alleged fraud has deeply affected Vancouver Island’s art community, particularly collectors, galleries, and artists who may have been impacted by the gallery’s operations. With high-value pieces from artists like Emily Carr involved, the case underscores the vulnerabilities that can exist in art transactions.
For many art collectors, the investigation has raised concerns about the potential for fraud in the art world, particularly when it comes to dealing with private galleries and dealers. The seizure of such a vast collection of artworks has also led to questions about the management and oversight of valuable art pieces, as well as the importance of transparency and trust in the industry.
As the case continues to unfold in court, it will likely serve as a cautionary tale for collectors and galleries alike, highlighting the need for due diligence in the sale and appraisal of high-value artworks.
While much of the seized artwork has been returned, the full scale of the alleged fraud is still being unraveled. Lucyshyn’s upcoming court appearances will be closely watched, not only by the legal community but also by the wider art world, as it navigates the fallout from one of Canada’s most significant art fraud cases in recent memory.
Art collectors and individuals who believe they may have been affected by this case are encouraged to contact the Saanich Police Department to inquire about any unclaimed pieces. Additionally, the case serves as a reminder for anyone involved in high-value art transactions to work with reputable dealers and to keep thorough documentation of all transactions.
As with any investment, whether in art or other ventures, it is crucial to be cautious and informed. Art fraud can devastate personal collections and finances, but by taking steps to verify authenticity, provenance, and the reputation of dealers, collectors can help safeguard their valuable pieces.
