INNISFAIL – Karen Scarlett is soon moving into the historic Dr. George Kemp House.
As of April 1 the accomplished local artist, who has just moved back to town after many years in Calgary, will use part of the heritage home as her professional studio.
“It will probably be a slow move-in,” said Scarlett, who recently received approval from town council to lease space at the Dr. George Kemp House for $250 a month. “It will be a studio. I don’t know how well it will work. I'm going to try my best to make it function.
“I basically will have the porch area along the east side of the building and then they're allowing me some storage area in the basement,” she said, adding working in the space during winter could be challenging. “I think it'd be great in the three seasons. The town seems very open as far as what it's going to look like.”
Scarlett certainly needs a professional home as she has an ambitious workload ahead for 2023.
She is spearheading the mural project this year on the exterior walls of the Innisfail Royal Canadian Legion Branch #104.
Scarlett is also busy preparing for the June 3 Installation Day for her Community Crochet BOMB Project.
And she is organizing the Innisfail Water Tower Show that officially begins on the second floor of The Coffee Cottage on March 28 from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m.
The exhibition, which honours the iconic civic structure that was demolished in 2007, will feature the work of local artists Carol McKinnie, Iris White, Ken Vogel, Ann Taylor, Carlie Marsh, Brenda Meding, Pat Snowie, Wilma Watson and Scarlett.
The exhibition is running until early April. Scarlett said the artists are welcoming commissions.
And finally, but most importantly for the local arts community, Scarlett is busy advocating to top municipal officials to have all forms and styles of public art included in the town’s new Public Art Policy.
Meghan Jenkins, the community services director for the Town of Innisfail, told the Albertan the town’s public art policy is still in development and will be brought back to council at a later date for review.
“I want all public art included in the policy,” said Scarlett, adding she wants to be “heavily involved” in its development. “I don't think good policy just exists by the town making it. I think that good policy exists when the community is involved in that policy.
“So, that would be my first desire is that a policy that makes sense for the community and the community be involved in it exists as part of that package,” she added. “And then I think the next thing is getting a sculpture made.”
On Feb. 21 Scarlett gave a sculpture proposal presentation at town council’s Agenda & Priorities meeting.
She told council the goal of her presentation was to convince members of the importance of public art, and “more specifically’ sculpture, and then even “more specifically” having a public art policy.
Scarlett then presented sculpture options, including the Town of Innisfail’s grain elevator creation last year at the White Rock near the intersection of 52 and 54 avenues.
She highlighted several local families, individuals and organizations that can be celebrated through the creation of public art sculptures.
These included the Innisfail Eagles hockey club, the Daines family and the ongoing impact they have on professional rodeo and through the auction market, and the Jackson family – the Buttermakers of Central Alberta, and the integral part they have played in social and commercial development of Innisfail since the early 1900s.
“I would love to see a sculpture of granddad Jackson made into a sculpture made out of butter pats in steel sculpture,” Scarlett told council.
She named legendary local cowboy Larry Robinson, a multiple Canadian and National Finals Rodeo champion, as another worthy sculpture subject.
Scarlett also proposed her great-grandmother Estella Wildman Scarlett, who christened the pioneer town with its current name of Innisfail, replacing the first moniker of Poplar Grove.
And then there was the Llewellyn family, and the commitment and drive they had to put Innisfail on the provincial, national and international maps through water skiing, with siblings Kreg and Jaret becoming revered champions.
“The town owes Chris Llewellyn incredible thanks for starting the process of cleaning up Dodd’s Lake. In the process of cleaning up the lake Innisfail hosted the provincial and national waterski championships,” said Scarlett, who proposed the green space around Dodd’s Lake be named in the Llewellyn family’s honour.
She also proposed a sculpture close to the skateboard park to salute Don (father), Kreg and Jared in “their fine form skiing”, and to have the new million-dollar facility named in honour of the two champion water skiers.
“I would love to see the skateboard park named the Kreg and Jared Friendship and Sportsmanship Skatepark,” said Scarlett, who became close friends with the brothers, especially Kreg, who passed away in Texas on July 7, 2020.
“Last summer I decided to go check out the skateboard park because I was very interested in what it looked like,” said an emotional Scarlett. “And I heard that you hired a young boy to make sure everybody was included.
“Little kids came running over and wanted to know how they could be included and how I could be part of what they're doing,” she told council. “And that experience made me feel like Kreg and Jared had showed up completely and totally.”
Town council accepted Scarlett’s report as information. She was reminded administration is working on a Public Arts Policy.
Councillors Janice Wing and Dale Dunham offered the artist praise for her commitment to public art.
“I feel as emotional as what you have shown here today,” said Wing. “Public art is a great way to build public pride in a community as well. It's a wonderful reason for other people to come and learn about Innisfail and share what a great town this is.”
