Location: Previously in the front lobby of the Harriet Irving Library; now held in the Archives & Special Collections.
Date unveiled: 1 February 1981
Artist/Creator: Dr. Ivan H. Crowell (weaver); Reginald W. Bailey (designer); Bruno Bobak (designer)
Event/Occasion/Significance: Five of the tapestries were formally presented to the University at a ceremony in the Art Centre on February 1st, 1981. They form a series of twelve, which were donated by Dr. Crowell as a Bicentennial gift.
Notes: The tapestries showcase buildings, architecture and scenery on the Fredericton campus. They are based on silkscreen prints or drawings by Reginald Bailey and Bruno Bobak. In the corner of each tapestry is woven the artist's initials and those of Dr. Crowell. Full sizes cartoons, or patterns, were prepared from the artists' prints by Marjory Donaldson, with the exception of the trees, which were drawn in by Mr. Bobak. From the cartoons, now located in the Archives & Special Collections, Dr. Crowell transferred the design to the warp threads on his loom. The (horizontal) weft, or woof threads, are then interwoven in the various colours to re-create the design. The weaving of each 65" x 44" tapestry took Dr. Crowell at least 26 eight-hour days, plus another week of hand sewing to reinforce the tapestry and finish the edges.
Designed by Reginald W. Bailey:
Designed by Bruno Bobak:
Sources:
- Roulston, Linda. The Bicentennial Tapestries (pamphlet), University of New Brunswick, June 2000.
- Photography by Clayton Lewis