St. Albert, Alberta, the artist’s home
bronze, on cement base, with time capsule
EDUCATION IS AN ORNAMENT IN PROSPERITY AND A REFUGE IN ADVERSITY. Aristotle
SAINT ALBERT THE GREAT, Doctor of the Church, Patron of those who cultivate the sciences of nature.
Born Albert deGrote, the son of a military noble in the Swabian town of Lauingen, between 1193 and 1206. This Great Dominican Teacher was to become the acknowledged master of his age in a vast number of Studies before his death on November 15, 1280;
Anatomy, Anthropology, Archeology, Astronomy, Botany, Chemisty, Cosmology, Ehics, Engineering, Law, Logic, Mathematics, Mechanics, Medicine, Metaphysics, Mineralogy, Philosophy, Physiology, Theology and Zoology.
His was an intense interest in all things, whether it was the nature of sound or the structure of an insect. Remarkably broadminded for his time, Albert translated, considered, critiqued, and taught the great work of Aristotle.
Albert reworked the Jewish, Arabic, and European treatments making Aristotelian thought relevant to the medieval European consciousness. He made possible a more world-inclusive Christianity and the scientific method we know today. This universal doctor bridges the worlds of the secular and the divine, always promoting the intelligent exploration of both.
Alberts Magnus - The Universal Doctor - The Wizard - Frater Alberts Teutonicus - Albert de Lauingen - Marvel and Miracle of Our Time - Bishop of Ratisbon - The Ape of Aristotle - The Bishop of Boots - Albert of Cologne - Albertus Latinorum Primus - Lector - Albertus Magnus Philosophus - Lord Brother Albert - Great in His knowledge and Small in His Person - Albert the Theologian - Albert of Bollstadt - Maitre Albert - The German Vicar Provincial - Professor Albert - Papal Nuncio - Praedictor Crucis
The statue of Saint Albert vanished recently and I was asked to remake what I created a quarter century ago.
Many losses can be dealt with when we come upon them. They are felt, but we return to our original path forward. There are other absences, sudden and unasked for, that change our lives. Loss leaves a part of us unfulfilled. When important things are taken there is a stunning effect where we come to realize the scope of the loss. But grief can be joined by clarity as well, which would not occur otherwise; a new awareness of the meaning of what was lost to us, the shape of this absence and of our lives as a whole.
When I first created the Saint in 2001, I encountered the life of a great man summed up in small, scattered remnants, all hidden in plain sight: a name, small portraits, and a few stories. A sense of his life was rediscovered through this process and blossomed under renewed attention, both from myself and my community. With this new sculpture we are adding to his story, with the gentle suggestion to lift our gaze past the image before us to what lies beyond.
The bird is now gone, only a single feather remaining. This new work of art stands in St. Albert Place at the entrance to the City Library; a very good location for the patron of all those who cultivate the sciences of nature.
This is an original work owned by the City of St. Albert and commissioned through the City of St. Albert Public Art Program.