Individually crafted panels offering a blend of photos, sculptures and history are set to grace St. Paul’s main street, as the Champions for Change’s downtown revitalization committee sets to work on its next big project with gusto.
“I think it boils down to community pride. This is where we live,” explained committee member Amil Shapka, of the committee’s motivation to re-energize the community. He added it comes back to the group’s motto from its first meeting, “St. Paul’s great, let’s celebrate.”
The group’s latest focus is on celebrating what Shapka called St. Paul’s “rich history.”
“The deal was we had approached the town about funding street art,” he said, adding that the town decided to grant the group $15,000 a year. The group fundraised to match that amount last year, with contributions from community partners.
“That enabled us to put up that beautiful spirit bear by Racette School that we all love,” he said.
This year, the group thought it would create some individual artistic panels that showcase the local history of St. Paul, from long-time businesses like the St. Paul Foundry, the St. Paul Journal, the St. Paul and District Co-op, to groups like the St. Paul Royal Canadian Legion and the local museums. The panels will be scattered along main street, but more may be placed in other locations in town, such as by the walking trail.
Shapka notes that the area’s earlier history will also be included, such as the history of St. Paul des Metis and the birth of the town.
“We want it to be authentic and original so I’ve approached some of the elders I know,” he said, adding the group is also reaching out to First Nations people in Saddle Lake and Blue Quills First Nations College to augment the record of this older, oral history.
“We’re going to take our time and do it right,” he said, noting that as one museum volunteer noted, it’s something that can’t be rushed, since “those panels are going to be around for a long time.”
The final product will feature a panel finished in a diamond coat, mounted on a metal pole and backed by a three-foot high laser sculpture.
“Each panel will have a unique statue particular to that history,” he said, adding that local artist Herman Poulin is helping with these efforts. The panel on the Legion, for instance, will include a statue of a soldier dressed in full World War I battle gear.
The museum societies have thrown their support and cooperation behind the project, and one of the board members came up with an idea that Shapka is enthusiastic to see – the addition of a QR code that links each panel to the museum’s website.
Scanning these QR codes will give readers more photos and history on each topic, as well as translations of each panel into other languages.
The design for two of the panels is already complete and Shapka says the committee’s goal was for at least one panel to be installed by late August or September of this year, if not more, at which point, committee members will unveil its latest contribution to St. Paul’s streets.
“We’re really excited - once we do the unveiling, we’ll probably engage the community for other possible ideas,” said Shapka. “By the end of next year, we could have 10 or more of these beautiful pieces of history on our main street.”
Mayor Glenn Andersen said the town was happy to support the Champions for Change project, noting, “They come up with a lot of really neat initiatives.”
He believes that the pieces will inspire reflection and act as a conversation-starter about the history of the town, adding, “Anything that makes our community stand out from other communities, it’s a great thing.
