Edmonton: Fun Secret Sculpture Story
Back in April I got an unexpected email from a women in Edmonton asking me if I was interested in a Roy Leadbeater sculpture that was in the yard of her late Dad’s shop. I was intrigued as Leadbeater is one of Alberta’s most respected artists. After a bit of back and forth I put her in touch with the people at the Kiyooka Ohe Arts Centre (KOAC) to see if they might be interested in adding it to their growing collection of artworks in the sculpture park just west of Calgary.
Fast forward to July and we were planning a trip to Edmonton, so I thought I should check-in with her to see if anything was in the works with the KOAC. Turns out it wasn’t a good fit, so the artwork was still in the yard. I then made arrangements to meet up we her at the shop to see the Leadbeater sculpture for myself.
When I got the address, I quickly looked it up on Google Maps and saw there are several other large metal sculptures beside the building next to the sidewalk anyone walking by can enjoy. I was intrigued, puzzled and excited! What else was I going to find?
Leadbeater sculpture lying in the yard
Close-up of the Leadbeater sculpture
Leadbeater sculpture upright at acreage
Leadbeater sculpture “Dialogue” in downtown Edmonton
Close-up of “Dialogue”
Just a few days before I was posted this article, I found another Leadbeater sculpture at the entrance to a luxury seniors complex while flaneuring in Marda Loop. This one is called Music II.
Back Story
In the ‘70s Catherine Burgess, and Clay Ellis, Alan Reynolds the "first generation" of Edmonton abstract sculptors established Edmonton as an international hot spot for heavy metal constructivism. In 1977, Peter Hide a British metal sculptor moved to Edmonton to become a professor at the University of Alberta and became a central figure in the city’s growing modernist welded-steel sculpture movement.
In 1993, the Edmonton Contemporary Artists' Society (ECAS) formed to foster local abstract art, organized the exhibition "Sculpture by Invitation" at the downtown Law Court Plaza. The exhibition featured the second generation of Edmonton abstract metal sculptors included Ryan McCourt, Andrew French, Mark Bellows, Bianca Khan and Rob Wilms. All were actively producing and exhibiting, large scale modernist, welded plate steel sculptures.
Here’s where it gets interesting.
Ray Lewis Enterprises (the site of the artworks) was called to fix a door at the Courthouse while the exhibition at the Courthouse was happening and after their repair man fixed the door, he was asked if he could move some sculptures. He said, “Yes,” even though he had never moved a sculpture in his life.
Soon Lewis and his staff were moving sculptures for artists, galleries and public installations around the city. He even helped artists by storing pieces in the yard of his shop and at his farm outside the city. Over the next 25+ years Lewis became a valued patron of Edmonton’s sculptor community.
Unloading Leadbeater sculpture into the yard.
Mini Art Park
I arrived and was immediately gobsmacked to see four large scale (about 10 feet high or 10 feet long) metal sculptures just sitting on the front lawn of the shop. There are no plaques, no signatures that I could find, but you could tell they are the work of accomplished artists. There was a lovely sense of mystery as I continued to study them. Why are they here? Who did them?
Once inside I found the Leadbeater lying on the ground at the back of the yard, tangled with weeds, with a faded paint patina. It was sad - like a fallen soldier in a battle field. Obviously, it needed some serious restoration.
Alan Reynolds sculpture.
I wandered around the yard some more and found some of Lewis’ sculpture experiments and other scraps of metal and junk that created a haunting studio experience.
I was then told there was an Alan Reynolds in the shipping container at the back of the yard. However, the key for the lock had been stolen in a recent break-in so they would have to grind it off. Sure, enough the inside the shipping container was full of stuff (I felt like I was on an episode of Canadian Pickers) including the Alan Reynolds.
I wandered around some more, but the was the end of the art finds.
FYI: Canadian Picker, Sheldon used to be my next door neighbour.
Three sculptures by unknown artists next to the parking lot of Ray Lewis Enterprises yard.
The shop is full of scrap pieces of metal. You can already see the composition of the sculptures.
Storage units in the yard
Last Word
Over the years, the artists have moved on and some of the sculptures just got left in the yard, like the Leadbeater and the four that are in front of the building. Lewis passed away and the future of the sculptures is uncertain.
So, if you are in Edmonton and are interested in a fun off-the-beaten-path adventure you can find the mini sculpture park at 14650 118 Ave.
