Subterfuge, spies, intrigue, military fronts or international peacekeeping. Take your pick because it's all on display at the Estevan Art Gallery and Museum until the middle of November.
Two encompassing exhibits were opened for general public viewing last Thursday evening with artists in attendance to talk about their work and vision.
Barb Hunt's well-travelled artistic pieces crafted from well-worn military uniforms of Canadian armed forces personnel in Bosnia and Afghanistan is featured in the main gallery with the title Lest We Forget.
Hunt's work encompasses and includes the once very important Morse code that was essential for radio operators in the two World Wars.
Hunt, a pacifist, said she found allies within the Canadian military complex and recalled her days as a young girl, trying to get information about the First World War from her grandfather and then her father who was a radio operator in the merchant marines in the Second World War.
"My grandfather was a machine gunner, probably the only reason he survived that war," said Hunt, who said he refused to talk to her about his experiences in the trenches. She was only able to gather some of the information she felt was vital for the exhibit from her father who had heard some of the stories.
"My father was great at gauging distances, that skill helped him survive," she said.
"His letters home were filled with flowing words very descriptive, almost poetic, so I have completed a fabric poem, in Morse code, as a tribute," she said at the opening reception.
The exhibit, or pieces from it have already been displayed in St. John's, Victoria, Prince Edward Island, Montreal and Toronto since 2011.
The materials used in the exhibit were gleaned from the camouflage and other uniforms worn by troops in more recent times.
"When I was a child growing up in Newfoundland, I was like all other children, I was in a world where nothing could go wrong," she said.
Words from her grandfather who wrote home about the birds flying over the battlefields of Europe, stating that "they don't seem to understand there is a war going on," captured her attention and influenced her thinking from that point on.
"I am against war but not against the military. The Canadian military is fabulous," she said.
The other exhibit that opened that same night, is a dual effort from the husband and wife team of Jeff and Linda Gudmundson entitled Ladies, Gents, Partners and Spies.
Linda's paper collage artistic work pays homage to female spies and counter intelligence experts the women who worked as agents. Her work was inspired by a 1930s newspaper article she borrowed from her husband's research papers that he was using to find background information for his hobby, the collection of military memorabilia, which is part of the dual exhibit in the community gallery at the EAGM.
"I learned about a French female spy who was honoured for her First World War work, and I later learned there were a lot of women in espionage in the Second World War," said Linda.
"There were a number of them in special operations executive roles. They did decoding work, mission work and served as couriers. One woman, Audette, was tortured but managed to survive by allowing her mind to escape her body. The Nazis kept her as hostage, hoping to use her as leverage in an exchange, but the war was ending and she was liberated in 1945. While I was researching for this work, I understood how there was a sisterhood of spies," she said.
Her husband's collection now numbers over 3,000 items with a few hundred of them on display in the EAGM. Eight of his 26 military tunics and full uniforms can be seen along with a variety of swords and other weapons.
"I got the collecting bug when I was in Grade 3, and I found a Scottish/British helmet from the Second World War. I've been collecting ever since," he said. He does it through general auction sales, estate sales and now, online. He takes pride in the research he does that allows pretty well each piece to have a story behind it. For instance, a Canadian army tank captain's uniform is part of the EAGM exhibit. It belonged to a tank commander whose unit was involved in the beachhead action at Dieppe.
"The tanks got hung up on the rocks, and we all know what kind of defence had been put up. They didn't have a chance," he said.
"Just touching these uniforms, you feel you're touching humanity," said Amber Andersen, director/curator at the EAGM.
"These uniforms are emblems of struggles of military personnel from different countries," said Jeff.
Following brief addresses by the artists, about 35 gallery visitors enjoyed food and refreshments along with opportunities to talk informally with the artists about their work.
