Public Artwork
The Great Canadian Equalizer
Location:
Jean Talon Building, Statistics Canada, Tunney’s Pasture, Ottawa, ON, Canada
See map: Google Maps
Artwork creator(s):
Grey, Jerry
Text author(s):
Grey, Jerry; Dictionary
Installation year:
1978
Remarks on location:
Corresponds to Transitway stop "Tunney's Pasture" of OC Transport.
Description:
The concept of this demographic/historical mural grew out of the failure of the 1971 Victoria conference over constitutional reform and the ensuing discord between the provinces and federal government over the division of powers. It is an artist's vision or solution to power sharing in Canada. In the mural, every region gets equal time and space. Canada is divided into 15 geographical regions. Each region comprises four parts: dictionary definition; land area, represented by red in proportion to the largest area, Quebec; population, represented in black (largest -- Ontario); and a lineal map of region (Newfoundland and Labrador are separated for aesthetic, not political reasons). The mural is flanked by an explanatory text, biographical information, and numbered identification panels.
Source : Jerry Grey (2008). Commissions: Public Art. The Great Canadian Equalizer
Text theme:
Demography and provincial history
Artwork theme:
Discord between the provinces and federal government over the division of powers.
History:
1.Commissioned by Department Public Works Canada, Capital Region.
2.Jean Talon Building, Statistics Canada, Tunney's Pasture, Ottawa, since 1978. Note(s):
Commissioned by Department Public Works Canada, Capital Region; Jim Strutt, Architect, 1975-1979
Artist's biography:
Jerry Grey
Owner(s):
Collection of Public Works and Government Services Canada
Architect(s):
Jim Strutt Document(s):
Syndicate
