24 replies to this topic

[Walter Moar]

Millionaire's collection headed downtown
Carolyn Heiman, Times Colonist
Published: Friday, November 10, 2006

A $3.5-million art collection amassed by developer Michael Williams will be housed in a new gallery in the downtown building now occupied by Starfish Glassworks.

University of Victoria president David Turpin made the announcement yesterday at an unveiling of bronze statue of a wine-sipping Williams near Market Square.

The $70,000 statue is the result of work by the Friends of Michael Williams, a group dedicated to creating a legacy for the owner of Swans Hotel since his death on Nov. 9, 2000.

Williams built a $20-million real-estate portfolio in Victoria's old town district. He left the estate to the University of Victoria, the largest gift ever to that institution.

Turpin said the new gallery, which will showcase more than 1,000 works of art, was one of the wishes Williams made as part of his bequest.

The building at 630 Yates St. that now houses Starfish Glassworks was among the properties Williams left to the university.

Meanwhile Morna Tudor, a partner in Starfish Glassworks, said the studio would close Dec. 30 after 10 years of operation. Tudor, who runs the popular gallery with husband Gary Bolt and artist Lisa Samphire, said they had become "victims of their own success." The number of visitors who came to watch art being created also produced more administration for the partners, interfering with their artistic output. Anticipated rent and utility increases, combined with declining sales, further contributed to their decision to close.

Williams came to Canada in 1950 from Shropshire, England, first to the Okanagan Valley and then to Victoria in 1958. He ran a dog training and kennel business before turning his attention to development. Along with his real-estate holdings, he gathered a formidable art collection before he died.

The statue unveiled yesterday on a slim boulevard on the west side of Market Square depicts Williams gazing toward Swans Hotel. It has not been without controversy in a city that has a love-hate relationship with public art.

The city has given permission for the statue to remain in the space, which is public property, for six months. The Friends would like it to stay there permanently.

However, the group dodged the process set out for art on public property, choosing artist Armando Barbon without calling for public submissions. Council was also asked to approve the statue without having seen it.

The controversy was gently noted in speeches at the unveiling. Philanthropist Eric Charman said the statue should be an impetus to get more public art for the city.
© Times Colonist (Victoria) 2006

[G-Man]

To bad about Starfish - I have often taken tourist friends there to watch the glass blowing.

[Ms. B. Havin]

Did everyone see the photo of the statue (it's part of the [url=http://www.canada.com/victoriatimescolonist/news/story.html?id=15d8830f-76a9-4279-b74a-37a0496bef00&k=21219:392bb]online[/url:392bb] story, too)? It's the first time I've seen it. While I initially had a lot of sympathy re. getting this thing put up, I have to say that after seeing it, my only reaction is "gross!" Good grief, that statue is hideous! It would have been a better idea to [url=http://www.smm.org/bodyworlds/faqs/:392bb]plastinate[/url:392bb] Mr. Williams and put him on display that way.

Why do "artists" think that relentless verisimilitude equates to aesthetic value? Do I need the details of the eyeglass frames, the hollowed eye sockets, the bags? Does it add to my sense of who this person was, to see him depicted as though he were a deer caught in the headlights?

Now I'm really curious to know what sort of artwork he collected -- if he actually collected interesting stuff, he must be spinning in his grave to be presented to posterity as such a caricature, a smile frozen in phony and relentless "realism." The essence of a smile (if he was a smiling person) is that it's not permanent: it comes as mysteriously as it goes. (I think there was this Leonardo guy who worked on that issue, too...) The "realist" who sculpted this awful piece has flattened the very qualities of personality he thought he could capture.

[Holden West]

Ooh, that statue doesn't look too hot. Your take on it is insightful, Ms. B...maybe I'm too optimistic, but I was hoping to see something a bit more enigmatic--after all, he was a complex character, not a cartoon like the statue would have you think.

[G-Man]

I was hoping to see something staid and you know statuesque. You know where the person is staring noblely off into the distance. Oh well... If you want an idea for the kind of art he collected take a wak down to swan's they have some of it on display in the pub and restaurant next door. I believe they show some of it on their website too.

[Walter Moar]

I wasn't going to comment on the statue until I saw it in person, but in the article photo it certainly looks atrocious.

[VicHockeyFan]

said they had become "victims of their own success." The number of visitors who came to watch art being created also produced more administration for the partners, interfering with their artistic output. Anticipated rent and utility increases, combined with declining sales, further contributed to their decision to close.

Where is the "success" part?

[Holden West]

^I suppose the fact that dozens of people crammed the studio yet few pulled out their Visa cards. By popularity it was obviously a wild success. Too bad the sales didn't match. As far as glass art is concerned, myself, I could never gain pleasure or peace of mind from owning something both costly and incredibly fragile.

Williams didn't necessarily collect art for its quality or future value. He simply collected what he liked, which is good advice for any art-lover (as opposed to art investor).

[VicHockeyFan]

^I suppose the fact that dozens of people crammed the studio yet few pulled out their Visa cards. By popularity it was obviously a wild success. Too bad the sales didn't match. As far as glass art is concerned, myself, I could never gain pleasure or peace of mind from owning something both costly and incredibly fragile.

Have they considered a large map of BC to try to drive sales?

That reminds me, Storyeum has gone under:




Storyeum closed for good
November 08, 2006 - 9:00 am
By: John Ackermann/Province








VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) - Storyeum has lost it's final lifeline. Vancouver city officials have voted against a proposal floated by bankruptcy trustees that would have kept the Gastown historical attraction open. The Campbell Saunders group says a buyer had been in place and was ready to carry on with the project.Storyeum used a large cast of actors to portray Vancouver's history and opened in June 2005. However, the attraction never did meet it's goal of attracting a million visitors. It ended up owing the city more than $5 million in back rent before it was forced to close its doors. A city spokeswoman refused to comment saying the matter was before the courts.

http://www.news1130.... ... 15613_5636

[Caramia]

The statue reminded me of that socialist hyper-realist style art, which normally you would expect to see larger than life, staring off into the distance stoicly on a huge pedastle. Instead, he's life sized, and sitting humbly on a park bench, with room beside him for a couple of extra seats. Kind of a neat contrast.

I'm pretty sad about Starfish, I've spent many afternoons staring at their glass blowing. It is a quite hypnotic. Probably one of the last free attractions in Victoria too. I have to admit though, I have never pulled out my VISA card either. Well, I guess we have only a couple of months to do that and maybe give back a little if we have enjoyed the free show. Some of their pieces are not that expensive, they even have a few under $20, such as Christmas Tree ornaments and such.

I'm pretty excited about the gallery though, the fact that old town has no public art gallery (although it has many really good private ones) is a shame in this "cultural capital." Much of the Williams collection was local artists, many of them unknown. He also collected a huge amount of native art. He often knew the artists personally, and was a patron and friend (and sometimes landlord) to many of the people whose art he bought. A lot of that art is in storage atm for lack of a place to show it. It should come out. It is a piece of our history and culture.

Regarding the dodging of process. Has the City's special committee ever stopped public art from being hideous? I can see the reasoning for giving them a monopoly over the awarding of contracts if the taxpayers were paying for the thing but in this case, I can't, really.

[G-Man]

Speaking of public art anyone seen the new addition to the CRD Square? Giant metal ball floating in water. Pretty cool actually.

[VicHockeyFan]

Speaking of public art anyone seen the new addition to the CRD Square? Giant metal ball floating in water. Pretty cool actually.

Everyone knows metal can't float.

[Caramia]

Someone should have consulted you while building the Titanic.

[FunkyMunky]

Now I'm really curious to know what sort of artwork he collected -- if he actually collected interesting stuff, he must be spinning in his grave to be presented to posterity as such a caricature, a smile frozen in phony and relentless "realism".

[url=http://www.maltwood.uvic.ca/mcw/works/home.html:27b94]The Williams Legacy[/url:27b94] can be viewed on the Maltwood Gallery's website.

[Ms. B. Havin]

^ Thanks, FunkyMunky. Pretty eclectic collection...

[Ms. B. Havin]

From the latest Victoria News, Statue honours philanthropist[/url:f2311], by Don Descoteau

A grinning, bespectacled man holding a wine goblet sits peacefully on a granite bench perched on a grassy boulevard next to Market Square.

He faces Swan's Hotel and Brew Pub, looking at it wistfully as if dreaming of days gone by.

If he were alive today, it's doubtful that Michael Williams would be sitting still long enough to take in some of the vibrancy of Victoria's Old Town that he helped create. But there he was, captured in bronze, his likeness intended to be a permanent and appropriate memorial to the man and his legacy of philanthropy, support for the arts and restoration of heritage buildings in one of the city's oldest sections.

And if he were alive today, such a statue would not have been erected, not over his dead body, says the man who oversaw the transfer of much of Williams's estate to the University of Victoria after his death in 2000, Victoria lawyer Michael "Benj" O'Connor.

"As Michael's executor, he told me he didn't want any recognition," O'Connor said quietly.

Wishing to heed the wishes of his longtime friend, he chose not to work on the statue project along with a group calling itself the Friends of Michael Williams.

On the other hand, O'Connor lauded the the announcement Thursday, during unveiling ceremonies for the statue, that UVic will relocate much of Williams's vast art collection to a downtown gallery, currently home of Starfish Glassworks at Yates and Broad streets, next summer.

"I'm delighted to hear UVic will be opening that gallery," he said. "I think it's a huge step forward in terms of meeting Michael's wishes."

The co-operative of artists who run Starfish out of one of UVic's downtown properties - formerly Williams's - chose not to renew their lease, which expires at the end of this year.

The energetic Friends of Michael Williams, led by the equally philanthropic Donna Thomas, managed to circumvent the city process for public art and secure a temporary home for the statue and bench, which sit on a large square slab of highly polished granite.

The notion of erecting a statue to the Maestro of Market Square, the Lord of Lower Johnson, the Oenophile of Old Town, was not unanimously approved by the city, on whose property the work sits.

Nonetheless, Victoria Mayor Alan Lowe was on hand for the dedication ceremony, talking up the statue, the group that pushed through the idea and Williams himself.

Never one to let an opportunity to turn a slick phrase go by, Lowe characterized Williams as a visionary and pub owner who "saw the ugly duckling and turned it into a beautiful swan."

Armando Barbon, a longtime business associate of Williams and the man who built North Douglas Distributors into the food services giant it has become, created the bronze likeness of his old friend. He seemed quite pleased with the result.

"Being my first work, I don't think I could do any better 10 years from now," he said.

While he used photographs of Williams to get the facial features of the statue accurate, Barbon had a personal recollection of the man that helped him get it right. "We had lots of wine together. He was a customer of mine for 27 years."

Even O'Connor warmed up to the statue after a while and recalled a memory of the man. "When I shared a house with Michael in the 1970s, I remember he would run nine or 10 miles a day. (The statue) captures him in the prime of his life."

While anyone can check out the statue firsthand, Williams art collection can also be viewed anytime, online at [url="http://www.maltwood.uvic.ca/mcm/"]http://www.maltwood.uvic.ca/mcm/.

[FunkyMunky]

UVic's official news release about [url=http://www.maltwood.uvic.ca/mcw/:b2da4]The Williams Legacy[/url:b2da4] being housed in the Bank Of Toronto building (630 Yates Street, Starfish Gallery) can be found [url=http://communications.uvic.ca/releases/release.php?display=release&id=769:b2da4]here[/url:b2da4].

[Amanday]

Speaking of public art anyone seen the new addition to the CRD Square? Giant metal ball floating in water. Pretty cool actually.

Woah, suddenly I remember playing with this thing drunk on my way home from Canoe Wednesday. Thanks for that.

[VicHockeyFan]

'Temporary' statue could stay for years and years
Times Colonist
Published: Sunday, May 27, 2007
Toast of Old Town: A statue of Michael Williams set on a strip of grass west of Market Square hasn't moved, even though time has expired on the spot. The City of Victoria begrudgingly gave friends of the deceased developer -- who was instrumental in saving many downtown heritage buildings -- permission to install the commemorative sculpture on public property for six months until another location on private property could be found. The deadline has passed but the bronze statue of the developer remains. It hardly surprises Victoria Coun. Pam Madoff, who opposed the temporary installation. "In Victoria, temporary means at least 55 years."

[amor de cosmos]

Did everyone see the photo of the statue (it's part of the [url=http://www.canada.com/victoriatimescolonist/news/story.html?id=15d8830f-76a9-4279-b74a-37a0496bef00&k=21219:f0093]online[/url:f0093] story, too)? It's the first time I've seen it. While I initially had a lot of sympathy re. getting this thing put up, I have to say that after seeing it, my only reaction is "gross!" Good grief, that statue is hideous! It would have been a better idea to [url=http://www.smm.org/bodyworlds/faqs/:f0093]plastinate[/url:f0093] Mr. Williams and put him on display that way.

Why do "artists" think that relentless verisimilitude equates to aesthetic value? Do I need the details of the eyeglass frames, the hollowed eye sockets, the bags? Does it add to my sense of who this person was, to see him depicted as though he were a deer caught in the headlights?

Now I'm really curious to know what sort of artwork he collected -- if he actually collected interesting stuff, he must be spinning in his grave to be presented to posterity as such a caricature, a smile frozen in phony and relentless "realism." The essence of a smile (if he was a smiling person) is that it's not permanent: it comes as mysteriously as it goes. (I think there was this Leonardo guy who worked on that issue, too...) The "realist" who sculpted this awful piece has flattened the very qualities of personality he thought he could capture.

what about that statue of macdonald at city hall? that one looks a lot better than that michael williams statue, no doubt about it. i kind of wish we had more like that. there could be statues of blanshard, quadra, etc etc. or amor de cosmos. :-D