The City of Lacombe is looking even brighter with some new sculptures added to the Lacombe Performing Arts Centre (LPAC)

There are three new additions to the LPAC grounds including metal additions to the guitar topiary (created last year), a musical note sculpture on the southwest pony wall, and a free-standing sculpture placed in the new sculpture bed next to the guitar topiary.

Donated in memory of their mother, Myrtle Pallister, the Pallister family sponsored the metal musical note and guitar hedge sculptures. The sculptures at the Performing Arts Centre complement the memory of Myrtle as she was an avid supporter of the arts in Lacombe and a dedicated community volunteer. Myrtle was active in the Lacombe Performing Arts Festival, played the glockenspiel for the Lacombe Lions Community Band, and enjoyed listening to the United Church choir. She also volunteered at the Tuck Shop at the Lacombe Hospital and contributed in many other ways throughout the community. The sculptures were designed by Ellen Corea and fabricated by local metalworker, Tristin Kerekes.

photo of family beside sculptureMembers of the Pallister family sit by the musical note sculpture (Credit: LPAC)

Inspired by the "Comedy and Tragedy" drama masks, Trenton Thomas Leach, of Rogue Art and Design, donated his sculpture, It Was the Best of Times, It Was the Worst of Times, to the City of Lacombe Art Collection, placed on the Lacombe Performing Arts Centre grounds. The sculpture is designed to express the polarity of mental illness. The yellow section is indicative of the mask we wear, the façade of happiness; the blue section represents then infinite sadness that lies behind the mask. “My hope would be that the viewer can relate to their own experiences through this sculpture,” says Leach. “With the recent state of the world, I felt this topic is event more relevant. People were more isolated than they have ever been.”

As the grounds continue to flourish, the community is welcome to enjoy the green space and the art. Playschool and summer camps have made full use of the space and LPAC is thrilled to have art be present for youth to experience as part of daily life.