Page 28 - Dreamscapes Magazine | Winter 2021-2022

HALIFAX ART TOUR
While a visitor to this safe, walkable city can find plenty of public statues in its downtown core, let’s assume you can do some exploring outside the city proper.
First stop: the Halifax Explosion Memorial Bell Tower completed in 1985. Located in Fort Needham Memorial Park in the city’s north end, the large monu- ment pays tribute to the 1,900 residents of Halifax and Dartmouth who were killed in the 1917 Halifax explosion. On that fateful day, two ships (one of which was carrying munitions) collided in the Halifax Harbour. Situated on one of the highest points in the area, the park offers terrific harbour views.
Next, you head south to the down- town. A walk along the Halifax Harbour boardwalk is an excellent way to get a feel for the varied statuaries perma- nently on display. Pass by a statue unveiled in 2018 that honours the influx of Lebanese immigrants to Canada in the 1880s. See a more-than-life-sized statue of Samuel Cunard, a native Haligonian born in 1787, who is the founder of the world-renowned Cunard luxury ocean line company. Cunard’s statue and two others, which are devoted to women war volunteers and immigrants, are found in the water- front’s Halifax Seaport area. The Seaport is the most southerly area near Pier 21. Now a museum, thousands of refugees and immigrants arrived to this former immigration centre including nearly 70,000 war brides and their children during and after the Second World War.
While walking in the city’s south end, you’ll encounter numerous colourful murals that brighten the urban landscape.
On the waterfront, spot the Got Drunk, Fell Down and Fountain lampposts, a cheeky art installation by NSCAD alumni Chris Hanson and Hendrika Sonnenberg. Along the way, you can’t miss the most photographed modern art sculpture—the Blue Wave, designed by another NSCAD alumna, artist Donna Hiebert. It’s a pop- ular meet-up spot midway along the boardwalk. A short walk up the hill from Lower Water Street is the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, which has a rich collection of contemporary and historic Nova Sco- tian and Atlantic Canadian artists.
of Haligonians’ creative temperament, which is as easy to inhale as breathing the salty sea breezes here. Just listen to the playful notes in the Acadian rhythms and the tongue-twisting humour, and see an array of artful renditions splashing scenes in the whimsical Maritime folk art, which are all common here.
In my opinion, Nova Scotians are a proud lot. They want to be known for more than the bountiful crops they harvest and the rich seafood they extract from the sea. They want to embrace and brag about their famous sons and daughters, such as the late Maud Lewis (folk artist), Anne Murray (singer), Robert MacNeil (novelist, jour-
nalist and broadcaster) and the late Rita MacNeil (songwriter), among many others. But back in 1908, when the Nova Scotia Museum of Fine Arts opened with 200 works of art owned by the province, the art on display arguably imitated British colo- nial life. Now known as the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, its permanent collection is home to 18,000 works from local, national,
and international artists.
INDIGENOUS AND AFRICAN
NOVA SCOTIAN ARTISTS
As the city evolves, so do the recognition and accolades that Indigenous Mi’kmaq
28 DREAMSCAPES WINTER 2021/2022