Each year, we lose some good outdoor art in Winnipeg. For the year indicated, here's a
last look at, a last goodbye to some of the artwork that has disappeared that year.
856 Ellice Avenue
This El Salvador themed Mural was rendered by Reid Edgeworth in 1998 sponsored by the West End BIZ. Over time it got tagged and was painted over in the summer of 2011.
Original notes follow:
Reid Edgeworth: "I was approached by West End BIZ for this Mural. I was floored by
the generosity of the family who owns this place. While I was painting this, that
enormous earthquake hit El Salvador. The owner went out of his way to actually drive to
El Salvador with a station wagon full of supplies. He wanted it delivered personally to
the people of El Salvador. He wouldn't just send it because he was afraid it wouldn't get
to the right people; he actually drove it down himself. The family was very soft-spoken:
they were quiet people who did powerful things."
"Two locations are combined in the Mural. The first location is the Tazumal Ruins in the
city of Chalchuapa in the province of Santa Ana. The second scene is the Chinchontepec
volcano by the Jiboa valley in the city of San Vincente. The ruins represent the ancient
history of the region; the volcano represents the beauty and majesty of the landscape. An
even stronger presence than the ruins or the volcano is the spirit of the people. Towering
above the mountains are three silhouettes mirroring the sky. The first two are a man and
woman overlooking the landscape; the third is a farmer working the soil. In the
foreground a Mayan woman is carrying a bundle of flowers to market. Her labour is
meant to represent the hard-working spirit and perseverance of the people. On the right is
an ancient Mayan surveying the scene. In front of them floats a frame made out of fruits
surrounding the scene of modern Salvadorans dancing in traditional costumes. This
smaller scene was inspired by a visit to the El Salvador pavilion at Folklorama and seeing
all the young people in their costumes dancing. I came back and painted it on the
building."
"This wall only took me a week or so. I put a grid on the wall with chalk and then grid
the original drawing. The only projection I did was of the Mayan woman from my
original sketch. I like those silhouettes in the sky. They're like the big powerful spirit of
the people."
