Diane Wishart

Halifax Walk II

On our recent trip to Halifax my husband Steven and I were pleased to find so much public art. Many pieces were painted as part of  the Downtown Halifax Business Commission’s  grant program, “Gritty to Pretty.” This stunning mural by Copenhagen-based artist Jacoba Niepoort, Rio Abajo Rio: The River Beneath the River was inspired by the tale “La Llorona.” In Latin American folklore La Llorona is a ghost who roams waterfront areas mourning her children, but ultimately her message in the art is about creativity.

The mural, Defeat was completed by Mike Burt as a dynamic street-art version of a warrior during a struggle. The artist wanted the mural to be visually stimulating with bright and bold colours. I think he achieved his purpose!

I really liked this one as well with its more subtle colours, also painted by Mike Burt. It’s called Victoria, Roman Goddess of Victory and was also completed in 2020. He was busy that year!

Another woman appears on the side of the Maritime Centre on Salter Street. Rising Tides by artist John McPartland is a beautiful depiction of the innovation and entrepreneurial spirit in Halifax.

If you find yourself in Halifax spend some time walking downtown to find these and many other gems. It’s a great city with lots to explore.

Writing Smeg

Two years ago I attended a workshop, with my son, on writing villains, a topic much different from the ones I had written about in the past. I’d just finished another manuscript and was looking for a new project so thought, why not? It could be fun, and it was. Here’s a taste of it:

CHAMBERLAIN SMEG was old, at least that’s the way he felt, that’s why he’d retired. Washed up, burnt out, unappreciated by younger cops clawing for his job. He’d been a good detective but methods change, times change. Besides, his twenty-two year old stepson PAUL GALLOWAY was a project that needed his focus. Before she died, the boy’s mother had plucked small gems of talent from him but Smeg kept missing them as they flew by, novel writing that looked a whole lot like unemployment was one example. Maybe video games could be turned into a career. One that paid so he could move out of Smeg’s house. Not that he wasn’t fond of the kid but when Smeg was his age he’d finished college, got a job and knew how to fry an egg.

Smeg had just settled into his favourite chair with a well-worn novel when MEAGHAN BYATT rang his door bell. She was one of those upstart detectives, the kind rising to the top, like bread with too many air bubbles. The sergeant had sent her on a half-baked errand to solicit his services. Apparently the sergeant wasn’t done with him. Apparently she’d decided he should mentor Byatt. Like another stepson. Just what he needed. But with a body wedged up against a tree off Whitemud Freeway, and little time to consider his options before rigor mortis set in, he was right back in the thick of things.

Set in Edmonton, Alberta in 2015, Smeg is a humorous, cozy crime novel that has the sexagenarian finding his worth, not only as a cop, but as a stepfather and friend, in sifting through the array of eccentric suspects who may have been responsible for that untimely death. 

Autumn Colours

Fall is such a wonderful time of year with its rapidly changing colours and spectacular vistas. When you add in the glorious weather we’ve had this year it’s hard to resist setting aside work and going for a walk. For me, the season hit when we were in P.E.I. visiting my husband’s parents and the red leaves of the maple trees grew more vibrant as the week went on. I was also struck by the flowers that continued to bloom late in September along the boardwalk of the Summerside harbour.

The day we arrived back in Edmonton was all about yellow. Our own river valley put on a show and the shorts and t-shirts weather continued.

Not to be outdone, Burchberry Meadows just west of the city called. I went with my daughter, son-in-law and two grandsons for a two hour walk. Well except for the part on the boardwalk when Ethan wanted me to jump. If I’d had to go far using that mode of transportation we’d likely still be there!

Then it was on to the University of Alberta’s Botanical Gardens. We ended our visit at the Kurimoto Japanese Garden created in the Kaiyou or strolling garden style. While strolling we stopped to watch the koi fish in colours as plentiful as the leaves.

In a few weeks all those leaves will have turned to brown and we’ll be raking them from our front lawn in order to give prominence to these:

Halifax Walk

Halifax is alive with street art, a growing and busy harbourfront and a buzz downtown on the warm fall weekend when we were there. Students, tourists and locals walking the streets and boardwalks, sampling local beers and good food on patios and in numerous restaurants. We checked it out as we searched for murals. We found this one at 1313 Hollis Street.

The musical theme continued at Bearly’s House of Blues and Ribs on Barrington Street. Sounds like a music venue and it is but don’t forget about the food. They’ve got an extensive menu. We found lots of Murals on Barrington Street all within easy walking distance.

Connection painted in 2020 by Trackside Studio’s Daniel J. Burt reflects that humans are more connected with each other than ever, yet many are still divided. This mural is for people who go out of their way to help others.

A little further down Barrington Street we found The Fun of Beauty of Performance on the corner of the CIBC Banking Centre. This mural was completed by Drew McSherry. Definitely looks like fun!

Writing the Rose

Did you know I wrote a book? Actually, I’ve written a few but so far only one that’s out there in the world. It’s called The rose that grew from concrete: Teaching and learning with disenfranchised youth published by University of Alberta Press. Getting published is hard work. They made it easy. Well, easier.

The story I’ve told is only one of many possible stories that could be told about Edmonton’s inner city. Here’s an excerpt:

Some people and groups are more disenfranchised than others in the urban margins—class, race, gender, societal expectations and norms, and combinations of all four, play a part in deciding a person’s “place” in any society. This is a story that shows a slice of Edmonton’s street life, and many of the possible combinations that dictate marginalization, but it’s a different story than those you might hear on the radio or read about in the news because its backdrop is an institution that tries to provide unique educational programs for youth who have been pushed to the bottom of the urban social ladder.

The story is also about my own experiences as a teacher in the school. I’m pretty sure that during my time there I learned more from my students than they learned from me. Arriving at the school with my White privilege firmly stowed in my pocket gave me a huge opportunity for learning. And what a curve.

I gained so many important insights during the first class where we discussed Tupac, and the ones that I conducted thereafter. It is often so hard to explore personal issues and open old wounds in a classroom setting, and the Tupac unit requires difficult emotional work from both me and the students. I do, however, think that the process allows all of us to transform our lives. Certainly my teaching has been transformed through my interactions with them.

This book was based on my doctoral thesis, but ultimately my hope is always to lessen the struggles for schools like this one. Schools that engage in ongoing and genuine attempts to help youth move forward in their lives.

The Rose That Grew From Concrete

Here’s one for you. It’s a good read. I promise. Especially if you’re a teacher, policy maker, scholar or just generally interested in education and you’re looking for a fresh, objective viewpoint on schooling for kids who have fallen through the cracks of the public system. I talked to lots of kids in an urban Edmonton high school, including a number of Indigenous youth. What I discovered was their experiences, needs and personalities. Turns out they’re interesting and had a lot a lot to say about what type of pedagogy works for them. Good thing they’re in a school that listens.

Here’s what a few others had to say:

At a time when high school completion, high school success, and student engagement are foremost on the agenda of most provincial governments and school jurisdictions, Wishart’s book serves as another reminder that those we single out as the most deficient, the most oppressed, have the potential to inform us of the changes needed to create an education system for today’s world. Sharon Friesen, Education Canada, 2010, Vol. 50 (5)

There aren’t enough people raising the issues that this book raises.  Perhaps we shy away from difficult topics too often, but not Wishart, who titles one of her concluding sections “Disrupting the Status Quo Through Uncomfortable Conversations.”  Our education system and our society would benefit from being disrupted more often by uncomfortable conversations that force us to look at old concerns from new perspectives.  We might even develop an educational philosophy that, in Wishart’s words, “…moves beyond the type of schooling that leads to people acquiring power and material wealth to people who want to question what constitutes the public good” (p.145). Kevin Taft, MLA Edmonton Riverview, January 2010

This book is heavy reading but it does contain fresh ideas for change in our efforts at dealing with issues surrounding at risk teens including a goodly number of Aboriginal youth. The author’s analysis is a starting point for concerned educators. It should be a useful text for lawyers practicing in custody matters in the marital law field. Ron MacIsaac, The Saskatchewan Advocate, December 2009

The Rose that Grew from Concrete exemplifies how teachers learn from their students – learn to work together, to listen, to adapt, and to connect. Paula E. Kirman, Prairie Books Now, Fall/Winter 2009

124th Street

Edmonton is home to a vast array of great street art. Don’t believe me? Check it out, starting with this amazing Rust Magic piece on the back of Peter Robinson Gallery on 124th street. I love the contemporary feel to it. It’s so much fun! And what could be better than sprucing up our back alleys!

A short walk south will bring you to Koutouki restaurant and a streetscape scene reminiscent of European sidewalk cafes. It’s 3D effects make you feel like you’re walking right into the mural. Kris Friesen’s orange classical buildings of Athen’s streets open up to create a colourful alleyway. Grab a coffee and sit down!

Keep on walking, but not too far. Here’s one by Graffiti Salad artist Jordoh who’s responsible for a lot of great art in and around Edmonton. You could do a whole tour just of Graffiti Salad art—this one is a good place to start.