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Ontario History
Creating Memory: A Guide to Outdoor Public Sculpture in Toronto By John Warkentin David Crombie
Imagining New Worlds in the New World: Entertainment, Agency, and Power in Upper Canada Volume 102, Number 2, Fall 2010
URI: https://id.erudit.org/iderudit/1065592ar DOI: https://doi.org/10.7202/1065592ar
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Publisher(s) The Ontario Historical Society
ISSN 0030-2953 (print) 2371-4654 (digital)
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Cite this review Crombie, D. (2010). Review of [Creating Memory: A Guide to Outdoor Public Sculpture in Toronto By John Warkentin]. Ontario History, 102(2), 251–253. https://doi.org/10.7202/1065592ar
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This article is disseminated and preserved by Érudit. Érudit is a non-profit inter-university consortium of the Université de Montréal, Université Laval, and the Université du Québec à Montréal. Its mission is to promote and disseminate research. https://www.erudit.org/en/ book reviews 251 ratization, bringing culture to smaller com- tory of Canadian culture. It does, however, munities across Canada? Jennings presents bear the hallmarks of an “official” history this as an ongoing theme of the book, man- of the facility. It is full of names, far too ifest first in the conflict between Hamilton many for the reader to digest; it is almost as Southam and his counterpart in govern- if Jennings could not bring herself to leave ment, Gérard Pelletier. Making the NAC anyone out, even if their connection to the into a centre of excellence implied that its NAC was a single appearance. Perhaps the greatest impact would be felt in the Ot- same impulse was behind the rather gratu- tawa region, which seemed to violate both itous inclusion of a colour wedding por- the regional imperative in Canadian gover- trait of maestro Pinchas Zukerman and cel- nance and the democratizing impulse. In a list Amanda Forsyth. In general, Jennings fascinating dissection of the rarefied world tends to be too even-handed and reluc- of Ottawa’s elites, Jennings sheds light on tant to offer criticism. At certain times in the degree to which the NAC became a its history, the NAC has been appallingly kind of private playground for the region’s badly run (viz. six CEOs in three years) high rollers. She observes that a “culture of and many of its problems can be traced ‘freebeeism’” (p. 160) pervaded the capi- back to the shortcomings of various se- tal. Many powerful people objected to the nior managers. But even those who nearly NAC’s relentless calls for public money, succeeded in running the facility into the but they also took for granted their consti- ground get no more than a gentle slap on tutional right to fine meals and cheap tick- the wrist. Art and Politics is heavily based ets to the best performances if there were on interviews with NAC insiders, past clients, foreign dignitaries, or out-of-town and present, and one senses that Jennings relatives to entertain. The NAC’s catering has tried a little too hard to avoid bruising arm almost always ran a deficit, so in a very fragile artistic egos. A more critical writer real sense taxpayers across Canada were might have been tempted to ask whether being asked to pay so that Ottawa’s glitte- the NAC has survived as a vibrant cultural rati could enjoy the high life on the public hub not because of the efforts of successive tab. management teams, but in spite of them. Art and Politics, then, tells an impor- tant story, both in and of itself and as rep- Jonathan F. Vance resentative of the larger themes in the his- The University of Western Ontario Creating Memory: A Guide to Outdoor Public Sculpture in Toronto By John Warkentin Toronto: Becker Associates, in association with The City Institute at York University, 2010. xii + 347 pages. $32.50 softcover. ISBN 978-0-919387-60-7
ute to the telling of Toronto’s story. The as coherent or epic a story of the city’s ori- author invites us to join him and explore gins, collective history or heroic figures in these riches for ourselves. “To get the feel as compelling a way as places such as Que- of Toronto,” he writes, “there is nothing bec City. “Rather,” he writes, “in Toronto like riding the buses through different parts public art relates much more strongly to of the city, observing people, the streets ordinary people and reflects everyday life. and buildings, getting off the bus, walk- Public sculptures in Toronto are markers ing short or long distances to search for a that evoke memories of forbearers of im- sculpture in areas you don’t know well, and migrant groups, of economic growth and placing it within the evolution its geographical of public infra- context.” (p. xii) structure.” (p. Professor 303) Warkentin also Though it places Toronto’s is not the main sculptures and thrust of his public art in a book, Professor national context Warkentin does by comparing its not neglect the experience with sculptors them- that of other Ca- selves. In a brief nadian cities. He but informative notes Montreal’s essay, he touch- distinct advan- es on the contri- tages in being butions of many able to cradle its of the over 320 monuments in artists who have the lovely places contributed and terrasses of to Toronto’s its historic street- sculptural in- scapes and cel- ventory since ebrating the fruit 1870. He hon- of creative ten- ours the works sion between two major cultures vying for of such early artists as Hamilton MacCa- presence and meaning. This he contrasts rthy, Emanuel Hahn and Walter Allward; with the constraints imposed on Toronto Elizabeth Wyn Wood, Florence Wyle and by the practical though unrelenting rigidi- Frances Loring in the early to mid-twenti- ty of the grid pattern of its streets. He lauds eth century; and Sorel Etrog, Gerald Glad- Vancouver’s extensive range of public art, stone, Michael Snow, Maryon Kantaroff, the imagination that comes from attentive- William McElcheran and many others up ness to local, aboriginal and environmental to the present. He also recalls the many interests and the success of urban public incidents of vigorous public debate that policies designed to encourage the develop- greeted their works, reflecting not only dif- ment of civic artistic expression. Toronto’s ferences in opinions and tastes but also the public art, however, does not seem to offer dichotomy often existing between public book reviews 253
and professional perspectives. The sharp- roots,” he writes. (p. 308) Missing also is ness of these public discussions he observes any significant celebration of the exploits has been muted by familiarity and the pas- of many European and Euro-Canadian sage of time. explorers such as Samuel de Champlain, In Creating Memory Toronto’s sculp- Alexander Mackenzie, David Thompson, tures are organized into sixteen topic cat- John Franklin and Vilhjalmur Stefansson. egories, then located geographically in The accomplishment of responsible - gov eight districts, clustered around three ma- ernment and the contribution of reformers jor and a number of minor axes across the like Robert Baldwin and Louis-Hippolyte whole of the city. This approach allows the Lafontaine; the building of transconti- author not only to profile the individual nental railways and the saga of the devel- monuments but also to offer some coher- opment of health and medical care: these ence by relating them to important themes are amongst the list of achievements, per- in Toronto’s history. The topics include sons and events that Warkentin argues still the founding of Toronto, natural heritage, await their due sculptural recognition as economic development, warriors and con- significant threads in Toronto’s story. flicts, imperial relations, human diversity It is a fair comment that Toronto too and community, political and civic tradi- often suffers from an ignorance of its own tion, education, religion, artists and ath- past and fails to appreciate that history is letes—among others. always at work whether we are paying at- In his conclusion, Professor Wark- tention or not. John Warkentin’s book is an entin seizes the opportunity to offer some excellent addition to other current attempts thoughts on what is missing in Toronto’s to rectify this state of affairs. By providing sculptural inventory. He remarks on the an accessible framework to explore these surprising dearth of monuments commem- monuments, Creating Memory lays a path orating great national events and achieve- for each of us to discover Toronto’s unique ments and laments the meager apprecia- narrative with new eyes. tion—almost to the point of absence—of First Nations people and their leadership. David Crombie “Toronto has forgotten its early aboriginal Toronto