Their faces light up when they see her.
She is Fraydal, the 600-pound bronze sculpture made by Derek Stuart who, before she was sold at auction three years ago, was the iconic — and sometimes provocative — piece of artwork at Coquitlam Centre mall.
Now, Fraydal is on loan by her Bowen Island owner for a new exhibit at the Evergreen Cultural Centre titled Expo 79/16 — the former number representing the year the mall opened, the latter being the current year.
Curator Gregory Elgstrand, the visual arts manager of the Coquitlam venue, said he and his volunteer committee wanted to mark the city’s 125th anniversary in a unique way with a narrative that didn’t trace its roots back to July 25, 1891 — when the city was incorporated — but rather when the municipality shifted its focus from Maillardville to City Centre.
“1979 was a turning point for Coquitlam,” said Elgstrand, a Centennial secondary graduate who remembers the mall opening in the largely forested region.
Fraydal was one of 27 sculptures commissioned for Coquitlam Centre by builder Ira Young. At the time, he spent $300,000 on the mall art — the equivalent of about $1 million in today’s dollars.
Elgstrand said Fraydal is a familiar piece for many current and former Coquitlam residents and, at the show opening on July 14, several guests recalled stories. “Their eyes just lit up when they saw her. It brought back many memories.”
But with Coquitlam’s population 100,000 less in 1979, most residents won’t remember Fraydal or what the area resembled 37 years ago.
Today, with a headcount of 141,000 and the Evergreen Line rapid transit on its way next year, Coquitlam is known for its mountains and trails, festivals and sports tournaments and, of course, an expanded Coquitlam Centre mall — the third-largest commercial node in the Lower Mainland with more than 910,000 sq. ft. of retail space.
Expo 79/16 also incorporates the present day with a large area for a collage party designed by Winnipeg artist Paul Butler. The public can cut out magazine images and paste them on the colourful gallery walls to represent what Coquitlam means to them, right now.
As well, residents are invited to share objects from the recent past for an exhibit in 2041, when the city turns 150. The donated possessions will be stored for a time capsule for when the population is predicted to hit 225,000.
Already, objects like a mangled bike wheel from an accident, a SpiderMan mask, a mechanical pencil, a key from a first home and a mortar board from the local branch of the Canadian Federation of University Women (CFUW) are on show. “We’re looking for anything meaningful that would send a message for the future about what we are now,” Elgstrand said. “It’s supposed to be a snapshot of what we’re doing today.”
And, still, there’s yet another component to Expo 79/16, which will be included in next year’s Canada 150 celebrations: In Who’s Your City? the gallery is asking attendees to imagine Coquitlam as a person and to define its top three characteristics.
Post-it Notes with “parks,” “block parties,” “multicultural,” “friendly” and “dynamic” are among the written words and those ideas will be infused in a display to run from May to August 2017, in conjunction with the country’s milestone year.
• Expo 79/16 runs at the Art Gallery at Evergreen until Aug. 21. The facility is open Wednesdays to Saturdays from noon to 5 p.m. and Sundays from noon to 4 p.m. Visit artgalleryatevergreen.com.
Join the expo collage party
Several collage events have already taken place this month — including during last weekend’s Kaleidoscope festival — but two more are scheduled for Thursday and Aug. 4. Both begin at 7 p.m. in the Art Gallery at Evergreen (1205 Pinetree Way).
If you can’t make those days, contact the gallery to arrange a private sitting for you and your friends, your company or organization: Call 604 604-927-6565 or email artgallery@evergreenculturalcentre.ca
