New exhibit at City Archives sketches Edmonton’s history

Todayville Edmonton

Published

5 years ago

2 minute read

November 20, 2019

A new exhibit aimed at connecting Edmontonians to the city’s history through sketches and stories is on display at the City of Edmonton Archives.

Sketching History: Rediscovering Edmonton’s Architectural Heritage through Urban Sketching was created and curated by Marlena Wyman, Edmonton’s current Historian Laureate.

“Sketching History uses the visual impact of art to draw attention to the importance of preserving Edmonton’s architectural heritage and green spaces,” said Wyman. “The sketches in the exhibit highlight the character and detail of heritage architecture and landscape that we often overlook as we pass by in hurried everyday life. Creative works evoke emotions and memories that connect us with our cultural heritage and encourage us to discover the stories behind the walls.”

The exhibit can be viewed in the Prince of Wales Armouries Heritage Centre. A smaller exhibit will travel to branch libraries, and the City Archives will host an online exhibit. The exhibit includes more than 100 drawings paired with stories and background about the sketched locations.

Buildings featured in the exhibit include the Hotel MacDonald, the Owen Residence in the Highlands neighbourhood and the Glenora Bed and Breakfast. Each piece includes a sketch and information about each building’s history.

The exhibiting artists are members of Urban Sketchers Edmonton, a group founded in 2011. The group’s membership includes beginner and professional artists who sketch the city. It is based on other Urban Sketchers groups found in most major cities around the world. Their goal is to raise the artistic, storytelling and educational value of on-location drawing.

“Art can engage and activate change. It provides us with new ways of seeing what we thought we knew,” said Wyman. “Our heritage can become so familiar and feel so permanent that we tend to take it for granted—until it is gone. Edmonton’s vital heritage architecture is disappearing. My hope is that this project will engage and connect us with the value of our city’s built and natural heritage.”

The exhibit will be on display through December 2020.

Related Topics:Edmonton feature Historian Laureate Sketching History

Up Next

EPS: Shooting in Ambleside

Don't Miss

Spruce Grove: RCMP Major Crimes Unit investigating a homicide

Todayville Edmonton

www.todayville.com/edmonton/

Todayville is an independently-owned digital media company. We specialize in helping community groups, local businesses and organizations tell their story. Our team has years of media and video production experience. Talk to us about advertising, brand journalism stories, opinion pieces, event promotion, or other ideas you have to make our product better. We also own and operate Todayville Red Deer and Todayville Calgary.

Follow Author

Alberta’s environmental leaders recognized

Community / 2 years ago

Family Day fun in City Hall & Churchill Square

Alberta / 2 years ago

Nominate an Alberta artist or arts collective for 2023 Distinguished Artist Award

Alberta

Multi-million dollar drug seizure in southwest Edmonton

Published on October 28, 2024

Todayville

News release from ALERT (The Alberta Law Enforcement Response Team)

Nearly $2.5 million in drugs and cash was seized from a southwest Edmonton condo building. A warrant has been issued for an Edmonton man.

ALERT Edmonton’s organized crime team made the seizure on October 9, 2024 after searching an address in the Windermere neighbourhood. The Edmonton Police Service helped with the search warrant execution.

ALERT seized an estimated $2.3 million worth of drugs, which included:

17.7 kilograms of cocaine;
5.3 kilograms of MDMA;
950 grams of methamphetamine;
3.1 kilograms of ketamine;
5 kilograms of psilocybin mushrooms;
20,000 oxycodone pills;
4,705 illicit prescription pills;
$41,000 cash.

ALERT searched the address following an investigation that dates back to June 2024. Investigators developed information about a high-level drug trafficker operating in the Edmonton area with a number of supply lines.

The drug seizure marks ALERT’s largest since a record bust earlier in the year. In August, 27 kilograms of cocaine were seized from a west Edmonton home. The two investigations are unrelated.

A warrant has been issued for the arrest of Minh Nguyen. The 36-year-old Edmonton man is wanted on charges of possession of drugs for the purpose of trafficking, possession of proceeds of crime, and possession of counterfeit money.

Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to contact police.

The investigation began in June 2024 after ALERT received information about a drug supplier based in the Edmonton area. ALERT alleges Nguyen was supplying other drug dealers in Edmonton and northern Alberta communities.

Members of the public who suspect drug or gang activity in their community can call local police, or contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477). Crime Stoppers is always anonymous.

ALERT was established and is funded by the Alberta Government and is a compilation of the province’s most sophisticated law enforcement resources committed to tackling serious and organized crime.

Alberta

Police seize more than 66 kg of illicit drugs in interprovincial trafficking investigation

Published on September 12, 2024

Todayville Edmonton

News release from the Edmonton Police Service

The Edmonton Police Service (EPS) has seized more than 66 kilograms of methamphetamine, cocaine, fentanyl and heroin in a large-scale drug investigation in central Edmonton.

In December 2023, members of the Edmonton Drug and Gang Enforcement Section (EDGE) initiated an inter-provincial drug trafficking investigation.

During the investigation, three male suspects were noted to be involved in various aspects of inter-provincial drug trafficking, including transporting drugs into and out of Alberta, as well as distributing them throughout Edmonton, including the inner-city community. A storage location for the drugs was located in a central Edmonton high rise apartment.

On May 9, 2024, police executed search warrants at three residences and four vehicles. As a result of the search warrants, EDGE members seized:

55.7 kg of methamphetamine, worth approximately $250,650
8.7 kg of cocaine, worth approximately $696,000
2.5 kg of fentanyl, worth approximately $300,000
83.5 grams of heroin, worth approximately $28,400
20 kg of buffing agent
Five handguns, three of which were loaded at the time of seizure and two of which had defaced serial numbers. Two were also reported stolen in Saskatchewan and Alberta, and one originated from the U.S.
Four vehicles with hidden compartments
Approximately $20,000 in various currency

Drugs and firearms located in one of EPS’ largest-ever drug seizures

“This investigation is believed to be one of the largest, if not the largest, seizure of controlled substances in EPS history,” says Staff Sergeant David Paton, with the Edmonton Drug and Gang Enforcement (EDGE) Section. “Intercepting this huge volume of extremely harmful street drugs before they wreak havoc in our city is a rewarding outcome for our investigators, who have worked tirelessly for months on this operation.”

Jesse Koble, 29, is facing 27 charges, Mitchell Steeg, 31, is charged with nine offences, and Steven Santillana, 34 is charged with two offences, for a total of 38 drug and firearms-related criminal charges.

The EPS takes a strategic approach to drug and organized crime related violence through its Guns and Gangs Strategy. This plan considers the unique factors driving serious crime in the city, identifying key focus areas that require increased and sustained effort to reduce victimization and improve community safety.

The strategy leverages EPS’ internal expertise and external partnerships with other enforcement and social agencies to strike a balance between education, suppression, intervention, and prevention. It encompasses immediate and long-term solutions that both hold those perpetrating violence accountable and lead willing individuals away from gang association.