| Victor Mitchell, first head of the drama department at the University of Calgary and co-founder of the Pumphouse Theatre Society, passed away peacefully July 22, in hospital in Victoria, British Columbia after a long battle with lung cancer. While a drama professor at the U of C, he cunningly altered plans for a lecture hall into what became the University Theatre. Mitchell and longtime close friend and drama professor Joyce Doolittle persevered in pursuing their vision to create the Pumphouse Theatre and provide the theatre community with a home and a lasting legacy for all Calgarians.
Doolittle and her husband, composer Quenten Doolittle were among the 20 or so friends, associates and former students who gathered to celebrate Mitchell’s life at the Albion Manor bed & breakfast in Victoria where he had lived for the past seven months under the watchful care of Don Halton. Doolittle observed that there were two distinct groups of people at the informal potluck dinner, those who knew Mitchell as a child or when he taught in Northern B.C. and those who knew him in Calgary, such as actors Sheila Junor Moore and Wes Twitter. Mitchell was eulogized with stories and pithy quotes that revealed the full spectrum of his character, amid laughter and moist eyes.
Joyce recalls, "Victor was irascible, mischievous, a brilliant, ambitious man who built the drama department from scratch to one that was first rate. It provided Calgary with professional theatre when there wasn’t any. He hired exceptional people even if they were prickly. And that department nurtured some of the best talent now in Canadian theatre."
Victor wrote his own obituary. He had been absent from the Calgary theatre scene for many years, but his influence is present now and for years to come. As he liked to control things, he’d love that. He was as fascinating a character in life as any he guided onto the stage.
The craft, fine arts and writing communities are grieving the loss of Paula Gustafson, founder of Artichoke, an arts and fine craft magazine that began its life on newsprint and evolved into a highly-respected, glossy magazine.
For 16 years, Artichoke magazine highlighted the creativity of our nation's artists. The award-winning magazine featured outstanding writing about Canadian visual art and artists, filling an honoured niche in the Canadian cultural landscape.
Gustafson was also a prolific writer, artist, mentor and advocate. Her unrivalled talents as editor and her ability to keep the integrity of Artichoke magazine's vision intact earned her the respect of both the arts and academic communities. Her intelligence and diligence enabled Artichoke to attract the very best Canadian regional writers and gave their writing about visual art and fine crafts national distribution.
Paula was a tireless advocate for craft, and promoted a new perspective for craft to be regarded in the same category as fine art. She lectured in Toronto, Vancouver, Halifax, Ottawa, Montreal, Calgary and Saskatoon and advised on, wrote and published literature about craft, including books and three special editions of Artichoke magazine which showcased contemporary Canadian craft. To her, craft always had a capital C.
Gustafson died in the comfort of her own home on July 11th, following a brief struggle with cancer. Her two daughters and son-in-law were with her.
Her daughter Nisse Gustafson e-mailed friends and colleagues around the world that "Paula left this world knowing she was surrounded by love, and was not in any pain. Paula came down with pneumonia at the end of May, and after a few tests, was diagnosed with lung cancer on June 7. She accepted the news with grace and remained in good spirits for the most part during her illness.
Read tributes to Paula Gustafson on the blog site http://paula-artichoke.blogspot.com.
For the past while, Paula was working as editor of Galleries West. She edited until a week before her death and the September issue bears her distinctive stamp.
She leaves behind her two daughters, Nisse and Monica (Mickey), and her four grandchildren, Michael, David, Nik and Katie and admiring members of the cultural communities of Canada. |
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