Catalogue

This historic city and environs began its tradition of public art three centuries ago. Observe the installation of the Town Clock and the Sebastopol Monument, the first out of necessity the latter out of respect. Will the Ranter’s poem printed in the Morning Chronicle of July 25, 1860 echoes Rev. George Hill, rector of St.Pauls Anglican Church’s speech at the unveiling of the Sebastopol Monument, one of the first memorial in all of Canada for the Crimean War … “The lion stands out boldly in his place, His sinewy limbs and muscle we can trace.” Listen as Lady Aberdeen reads a sonnet written for the unveiling of the Jubilee Fountain in the Gardens on June 24, 1897, after she couldn’t pull hard enough to unveil the fountain. Visualize the small bouquets given by the Commissioners of the Gardens to the ladies who attended the unveiling of the Boer War Fountain in 1903. See the audience, some likely in tears, as a guest describes the hardships of fighting in South Africa. Compare that with the trench warfare described by Hon. James Ralston at the unveiling of the Cenotaph in Grand Parade, July 1, 1929.

Witness the unveilings of Robbie Burns and Sir Walter Scott who finally had a coming together in 2010 after the bagpipes and “ Blue Bonnets Over the Border.” Feel the stress on the shoulders of the Cornwallis committee, 1931, to raise the funds, for the cursed even then, founder. Feel the tension as “hard-over’ Harry DeWolf leads HMCS Haida into battle. Pay respect to Churchill, winner of the Battle of the Atlantic and World War 11. Puff out your chest at the provincial government memorial, the Dingle Tower; place your finger on some of the names of those who sacrificed for us in the Cross of Sacrifice.

Construction noises usher in the rebuilding of Halifax’s downtown redevelopment of its waterfront. Watch “Mad Dog” cut, sculpt, and finish Humagination with his requiem “Bless the Cop.” Put your fingers on St. Elmo, patron saint of fisherman, in DeGarth’s 1980s monumental work in Peggy’s Cove. Witness the Bird of Spring’s flight: north, then west, then east. Stony old bird, preening herself in Ondaatje Square alone, until Origins moves in on June 16, 1995.

Celebrate within the Peace Pavilion as Douglas Hurd, British Secretary of State signs the guest book at the opening of this sculpture on June 16, 1995. Discover the origin of the images on the Canoe built to celebrate the International Federation Canoe Sprint World Championship, August 12, 2009. Hear the cadets’ feet marching together to the new Cenotaph in North Preston in 2011.

Trace the coming of our immigrants in the Celtic Cross, Dutch and Korean Cenotaphs, Vytaiemo, the Winged Lion, and Pier 21, Canada historic Immigration Museum. Think hard about the Wheel of Conscience Memorial, June 20 2011, now within this museum. Reacquaint yourself with the Atlantic, Tribune, Titanic, Halifax Explosion, and the Swiss Air disasters. Celebrate the navy’s 100th anniversary with their new pieces of public art.

Smile at the industrial engineering students attempt to make us stop and stare and cry at the art students and their leaders’ memorial to the Fallen Peace Officers. Admire with the students, the “old” but venerable Toby guarding the Convent of the Sacred Heart.

Make your own journey of discovery with Three Centuries of Public Art. If you will, listen, the sculptures are speaking.

This is the first of the ‘supernovels’, with three themes in one book. Primarily it is an historical novel set during the American Revolutionary War (War of Independence) from 1775-1783. It is a story of a family split along political lines, where the father (a military Colonel who fought with Wolfe at Louisbourg and Quebec) and one son are loyal to the King, while the other son serves with the Continental Army under George Washington. This son serves with Benedict Arnold during the campaigns along Lake Champlain and the ill-fated attack on Quebec City. Later the sons meet at Yorktown with the surrender with British General Charles Cornwallis.

The mother, Sulla Dramma, is the chief protagonist and heroine, who lives for the duration in New York, from where she was eventually evacuated to Saint John, N.B. to join her husband at the end of hostilities. She suffers many personal indignities, including imprisonment in an asylum for the insane (Luza Prison), but is resolute throughout it all to hold her family, (and her New York home which she adores), together. She is a courageous and especially literate woman who wants her sons to be educated as well, but the war has intervened. Her primary contact with the front and her family is through many letters throughout the novel, in which she assiduously corrects for grammar and spelling, not only of her two boys and husband, but even of the great writers and newspaper columnists of the day.

It is a story of the Loyalist/Royalist versus the Patriots/Rebels depending upon which side one is on. The language used is both sophisticated and late 18th Century. It also contains many rhyming couplets and a dozen original musical scores. The emphasis on language is intriguing, especially when arguments between the author and editor erupt as the story reaches a conclusion. It is a masterful mix of historical drama with real historical characters and those created by the author. The details of battles won and lost from 1775-80, including the commanders on both sides, are accurately reflected throughout this 334 page novel.

The novel is an ideal candidate for a film or stage production. The cover is an original painting by portrait artist Jacqui Mitchell.

John O”Brien also details his recovery with candour and humour as he passed through a series of field hospitals before his eventual return home, determined to complete his education and become far more than his impoverished early life would have envisioned. Follow the escapades of a raucous and belligerent young man from ‘The Avenue’ (Water Street, Halifax) who in later life would help hundreds of youths in his adopted community of Fairview, where he and his wife, Mary, raised ten children and he served as the community pharmacist for over 25 years.