BATTLEFORD - The Fred Light Museum in Battleford plans to pay tribute to its founder with a new mural featuring an award-winning photograph of Fred Light, who passed away in 1998.
The mural will be displayed on the north wall of the museum, facing the old St. Vital Church.
Museum manager Bernadette Leslie noted a fundraiser is currently underway to support the project. To date, about $3,000 has been raised for the initiative, with a goal to raise more than $5,000 in total.
"I'm very pleased so far with the outcome of the people donating. It's been great," she said.
Leslie said the mural project was a dream for her, so she is glad to see it becoming a reality.
"It's something I was thinking of doing for a long time," she said. "Just a tribute to him [Light] for founding the museum and his belief in me to develop his dream as having a great museum for the Town of Battleford."
Leslie has been with the museum for the past 46 years, since before it first opened in 1980.
This year is also Leslie's last with the museum as she is planning to retire in October.
The mural will be either 16 feet wide by 24 feet high or 20 feet wide by 24 feet high. The final dimensions are still being decided.
People can donate to the mural project in person at the museum, at the town hall office, or via e-transfer.
The photograph that will grace the mural is by award-winning photographer Bob Hewitt, originally from North Battleford, who currently resides in Victoria, B.C.
Hewitt, of Hewitt Photographic, said he took the black and white photograph of Light in August 1985 when Light was polishing one of his firearms from his historical collection.
"His firearm collection was one of the things he was most noted for. He had just an unbelievable collection of firearms," Hewitt said.
Hewitt said having a mural of Fred Light is a fitting way to celebrate his contributions to create the town's landmark museum.
He describes Light as a great lover of history who immersed himself in his collections.
"As Fred is concerned, he's an iconic figure in the town of Battleford's history," Hewitt told Â鶹´«Ã½AV. "I think it's a valuable sort of historic documentation to have the photograph that's representative of who he was and what he was - a simple, straightforward guy, always had a smile and a joke to tell, but absolutely serious in archiving... It turned out to be absolutely integral for the development and the continued development of the museum."
Hewitt's photograph of Light also garnered a prestigious award.
"This image was one of four black and white photographs submitted to the Professional Photographers of Canada (PPOC) print show in 1985," Hewitt said. "As a result, I was named Canadian Photographer of the Year in 1985, which was an honour for a small town photographer from Saskatchewan. Over the years, I had made it a practice to photograph community icons and characters… Fred Light was both and I am so pleased his legacy is still thriving."
