London councillor pushing for art installation to remember veterans year-round

As many Londoners commemorate Remembrance Day by wearing poppies over their hearts and taking a moment of silence on Tuesday, one city councillor is putting forth a plan to honour veterans year-round.

Ward 1 Coun. Hadleigh McAlister is asking the city to start gauging public interest in a permanent public art display that will commemorate the work and ongoing story of veterans. 

“I know Remembrance Day holds a lot of meaning for folks, but I think it’s important all through the year to remember their sacrifice to serve,” McAlister said. “It’s not just once a year, it’s something we should be reminded about all year round.”

McAlister put forward a motion to the community and protective services committee yesterday to begin collecting public feedback on a possible art display. The committee voted unanimously in favour.

In order to bring the idea to life, McAlister said the city should consult with local veterans organizations such as the Royal Canadian Legion and collect the public’s ideas through its website.

“Anything we do would have to be something that both the veterans and public are on board with,” he said. “There’s a lot of Canadians who have served and I’m sure there’s lots of good ideas out there that we could do to recognize their service.”

The founder of the Veterans Art Gallery in Port Stanley, Ont., James Agesen, said he likes McAlister’s idea and would like to see veterans’ involvement in the project go one step further. 

“We have artists who are veterans and they would love to participate in a program that honours them,” said Agesen, who is a veteran of the Canadian Armed Forces. “They should be the ones who make the art … It should come from the soul, from the people who served.”

McAlister said he is open to what the art installation could look like, but some of his ideas include a painted mural or a public gallery of artifacts.

Art is healing for some veterans

McAlister’s paternal grandfather served in the Royal Canadian Air Force during the Second World War and was an avid photographer who captured pictures for both reconnaissance purposes and to document day-to-day life in the Air Force.

Decades later, he took up a new creative path while in the veterans wing at Parkwood Hospital: art. He was interested in painting, ceramics, and making cards, McAlister said, adding that his grandfather used lots of bright colours and patterns in his pieces.

“Everything [in his photography] was black and white, so this is kind of like the Technicolour in his later years,” McAlister said. 

Agesen said art was one of the tools that helped him with post-traumatic stress disorder, not only because of the practice itself, but also the social aspect.

“[Art] is one of the pieces of the puzzle that really helped me get out of my place, remove myself from isolation and get socialized with other veterans,” he said. 

By getting Londoners who served in wars involved in a public art piece, Agesen said it will help veterans share their stories today and help new generations remember them years down the road.

“Unfortunately, as time goes on, people forget. The younger generation takes it for granted,” Agesen said. “The more education and the more understanding, the more appreciation.”