In Memoriam
Textile artist Carole Sabiston (1939 - 2026) died on January 26 in Victoria BC
This webpage visits nine of Sabiston’s public installations in Victoria.
Textile artist Carole Sabiston (1939 - 2026) died on January 26 in Victoria BC
This webpage visits nine of Sabiston’s public installations in Victoria.
In September 2013, when Carole was 74 years of age, she contacted Art Openings to profile and promote her artistic career. This webpage visits nine of Sabiston’s public installations in Victoria, including: Christ Church Cathedral, Government House, University of Victoria, Munro’s Book Store, Pacific Forestry Centre, McPherson Theatre, Saanich Police and Fire Station, City Hall and First Unitarian Church on West Saanich. “Just swell” was Carole’s comment on viewing the completed webpage. We all miss her warm ways and prodigious talents.
Born in London, England, she arrived on the West Coast in 1948, at age eight. After attending the University of Victoria, she taught art in local schools, gave workshops, and worked on large commissions. She began her professional career as a painter, but found sculpting with cloth better expressed the sensual dynamics of shape, colour and texture. The artist used multiple layers of fabric and text to convey earthly and imaginary realms, and their interconnecting energy fields.
Carole Sabiston garnered many international commissions and awards. She received the Saidye Bronfman Award for Excellence in 1987, followed by the Order of British Columbia, the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal and the 125th Canada Medal. In 1995, she received an Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts from the University of Victoria.
Christ Church Cathedral: The Forest Primeval (2002) and Advent Altar Frontal (1974)
Elaine Ellison with "The Forest Primeval" (2002)
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"Advent Altar Frontal" completed in 1974.
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In 2013, Elaine Ellison had long-served as the Sacristan (person responsible for coordinating items used in worship) at the Cathedral. Ellison stands with The Forest Primeval, a reredos decorative screen behind the altar. The five vertical panels, each two by ten feet, represent the splendour of the west coast rainforest. The rich blue green colours of the panels evoke a forest setting. The abstract patterning suggests dappled sunlight and flickering shadows. The glass ornaments and golden flowers were taken from a worn 350-year-old cloak used in a private chapel in Peru.
The Advent Altar Frontal is used during the month of December. After 40 seasons, the red silk cloth shot through with purple is still in good condition. The tension of the cross symbol is softened by the intersecting circles that form a tri-fold unity, the Christian Trinity. Ellison points out the variety of stitching patterns in the cloth and jubilant colours. “The bright energy of the piece inspires our Christmas services,” she says. In 2014, Sabiston’s role as Honorary President of the Creative Peace Mural Society was celebrated at Christ Church Cathedral in The Hands Around the World exhibition.
Government House: Reflections in Government House by Carole Sabiston, 2007
Iona Campagnolo with Carole Sabiston in 2007 at Government House.
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Long view of Carole with panels in the Ball Room
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Iona Campagnolo, 27th Lieutenant Governor of BC (2001-2007) commissioned Reflections in Government House from Carole Sabiston in 2007. The five textile panels mirror the spectacular views of the Olympic Mountains and Salish Sea visible from the Ball Room. The art collection at Government House includes textiles, paintings and sculptures from many BC-based artists. The collection of nearly 1000 artworks is carefully managed and curated for public viewing at regular intervals.
The University of Victoria: Howe Sound Suite (1980); Take Off: Point of Departure and Mode of Travel
"Howe Sound Suite" (1980) in the Faculty of Engineering and Computer Science at UVic.
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Martin Segger in UVic’s Administration Building with “Take Off: Point of Departure and Mode of Travel"
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The University of Victoria has over 30 Sabiston originals in its collection and several commissioned textiles in public spaces. Howe Sound Suite (1980) is in the Faculty of Engineering at UVic. Take Off: Point of Departure and Mode of Travel shows an imaginary map of southern Vancouver Island. The mode of travel is a magic carpet and the artist offers these instructions: “Quick, hop on this flying carpet to travel our local oceans to far away or within yourself.” Sabiston sums up her artistic process as concept development through stream-of-consciousness thinking, often aided by word and image association.
Martin Segger taught Canadian Art and Architecture at the University of Victoria. From 1979-2010, he was Director of the Maltwood Art Museum and Gallery. Segger envisioned Sabiston’s Take off in UVic’s new Administration building and requested ultraviolet glass to protect the artwork. “Carole is a major Canadian and international artist,” says Segger, we are very fortunate to have her in Victoria.” Segger believes her large-scale installations and layering techniques have expanded the genre of textile art. He describes Sabiston as a West Coast artist and an early environmentalist, who illustrates both geographic and inner connections to place.
Munro’s Books: Wall hangings in decorative alcoves; Reflections on the Water Music by Handel.
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Jim Munro in 2013 with “Reflections on the Water Music by Handel”.
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In 1984, Jim Munro (1929-2016) purchased an impressive heritage building on Government street. During remodelling, Sabiston’s wall hangings and banners filled decorative wall alcoves. Her large fabric panels depict the four seasons from both a sea and land perspective. “Everyday, customers and staff admire Carole’s artwork,” says Munro. “Their warmth and beauty never fade.” In 2012, Munro’s placed 16th in “The World’s Most Beautiful Bookstores” contest.
Jim Munro stands in his office with Reflections on the Water Music by Handel by his wife Carole Sabiston. In this photo Munro was 84, still coming to work every day, taking pleasure in the tactile world of books and business. Carole was already a successful artist when we met in 1976, explains Munro, supporting herself and her son. Jim’s first wife, short-story maestro Alice Munro (1931-2024) received the 2013 Nobel Prize in Literature. “I only marry famous women,” quips the cheerful bookseller.
Sabiston in Studio, Connecting Threads: the Arc of Carol Shields a work about her friend, author Carol Shields.
Sabiston in studio with “Connecting Threads: The Arc of Carol Shields" a work in progress.
In 2000, Carol Shields moved to Sabiston’s neighbourhood in Victoria. The two creative women became friends, having many in depth conversations about artistic process and inspiration. Unfortunately, Carol Shield’s cancer returned (she died in August 2003). During those trying times, Sabiston coaxed Shields to keep on writing. Unless Shields’ final book, was published shortly before the author’s death. In turn, Carol Shields encouraged Sabiston to write a personal story for Dropped Threads Two.
After the death of her friend, Sabiston inherited some of Shields’ clothing. The artist collaged the materials into a jaunty sketch of Shields, complete with blond hair. The colours are created with silk thread knotted in a tailor’s stitch. The bands of colour match the spools of thread incorporated into the left-hand area of the artwork. “Carol loved Paris,” says Sabiston, “and the labels on each spool have a Parisian address." Sabiston re-imagines her fondly by adding details like special buttons, labels and a variety of colours and textures. Their relationship, now ended in life, continues on through shared memories and mementos stitched into deeper layers of existence.
Pacific Forestry Centre: Three Tree Banners, 1984
The award-winning Pacific Forestry Centre was completed in 1984. Sabiston worked directly with architect Terry Williams during the construction. Three species of trees are represented on Three Tree Banners, each 10 x 2.7 metres: western red cedar, yellow cedar and sitka spruce.
McPherson Theatre: Interact (1984) in the Lobby; design and interior decor.
Interior of McPherson Theatre showing backstage and interior decor.
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Lloyd Fitzsimonds former Executive Director of the Royal and McPherson Theatres Society. with “Interact” by the artist. (1984).
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Carole Sabiston served on the Board of Directors of the McPherson Playhouse Foundation from 1979-1984. During those years, the refurbishing of the Royal and McPherson theatres took place. Sabiston assisted architects John DiCastri and Alan Hodgson with decor details such as dramatic paint selection. Lloyd Fitzsimonds praises Interact as a perfect title for an artwork in the lobby of a theatre. “It is here the audience interacts with each other and mingles between acts,” he says. The curtain-like patterns on the surface remind the director of wavelets on a sandy beach. “There is a gentle moving energy in the textile,” he adds. To create the carefully gradated colours and knotted effect in Interact the artist used knit fabric cut into eight-inch strips. Each wrapped strip contains five different colours. She hung the completed strips side by side on a large rack. “The process was laborious,” she recalls, “and meditative." |
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Lobby of the Saanich Police and Fire Stations: Locate by Sabiston (1997)
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In 2013, Sergeant Steve Eassie (left) was the media spokesperson for the Saanich Police Force. He stands with Locate in the lobby. “We find the Sabiston textile very welcoming,” he says, “it softens the impact of coming into a public service building.” Looking closely, visitors discover a stylized map of Saanich complete with sailboats on Cordova Bay and windsurfers on Elk and Beaver lakes. The wheels are an interesting feature and represent “wheels of justice” to some, or modes of travel. For Eassie and others, the four wheels show the four zones of Saanich: central, east, west and north. |
First Unitarian Church on West Saanich Road: Arbutus Coast (1986) and Continuous Rhythms (1999)
Reverend Melora Lynngood with “Arbutus Coast”
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“Continuous Rhythms” at First Unitarian Church on West Saanich Road
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Reverend Melora Lynngood feels fortunate that her congregation can experience each artwork for six months of the year.
The Unitarian Church embraces a wide range of theologies. “But we are united by our belief in the worth and dignity of each person,” says Lynngood, ”and our mutual interdependence in a web of existence.” The abstract nature of Continuous Rhythms fits perfectly with our faith, comments Reverend Melora. Through contemplation, each person draws meaning and sustenance according to their needs. Sabiston often refers to Continuous Rhythms as “Our Beautiful Blue Planet”, expressing her profound respect for the miraculous turquoise jewel that sustains humanity. The rhythms echo Sabiston’s belief that "the only constant is change." The kinetic zig-zag patterns around the sphere symbolize this state of flux.
The Unitarian Church embraces a wide range of theologies. “But we are united by our belief in the worth and dignity of each person,” says Lynngood, ”and our mutual interdependence in a web of existence.” The abstract nature of Continuous Rhythms fits perfectly with our faith, comments Reverend Melora. Through contemplation, each person draws meaning and sustenance according to their needs. Sabiston often refers to Continuous Rhythms as “Our Beautiful Blue Planet”, expressing her profound respect for the miraculous turquoise jewel that sustains humanity. The rhythms echo Sabiston’s belief that "the only constant is change." The kinetic zig-zag patterns around the sphere symbolize this state of flux.
City Hall Lobby: Arts-Expo 86 Project with mentored students from secondary schools in Victoria.
Supervising artist was Carole Sabiston for the 18-month project, titled Our Islands in Fabric.
Supervising artist was Carole Sabiston for the 18-month project, titled Our Islands in Fabric.
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