Artists
Marlena Wyman, City of Edmonton Historian Laureate
www.theprairieline.wordpress.com
Marlena was raised on her parents’ farm near Rockyford, Alberta, which had originally been farmed by her paternal grandparents. She has lived in Edmonton since 1974.
She is a visual artist who works in encaustic, printmaking, drawing, 3-dimensional mixed media and installation. She has exhibited across Canada, and her artworks are held in private collections in Canada and the US and in the collection of the Alberta Foundation for the Arts.
Marlena has been active in the arts and heritage communities of Edmonton for over 30 years, integrating her passions for art and history. She was the Audio/Visual Archivist at the Provincial Archives of Alberta for 28 years, and her artworks are inspired by her research into archival records. She was named the City of Edmonton’s Historian Laureate for 2018 to 2020, and some of her art projects and exhibits during her term reflect that focus.
The main focus of her art practice is the first immigrant women who came to the prairies. In her former work as an archivist, she found that one of the significant gaps in archival collections is that of women’s stories. In particular, the voice of early prairie women is largely excluded from mainstream history.
As an artist, she honours these women’s contributions, advocates for their rightful place in history, and encourages women to deposit their own and their foremothers’ records in archives.
Ella May Walker
Ella May Walker Virtual Exhibit
Ella May Walker (1892-1960) was an Edmonton musician, artist, author and advocate for Edmonton’s history. She had a wide variety of interests and was very active in the local cultural life. She was also a working mother of two sons which was rare for her time.
Ella was instrumental in shaping the City of Edmonton Archives as well as many other Edmonton cultural and heritage organizations. Ella May Walker was chosen for City of Edmonton's first virtual exhibit, not only because of the richness of her material we have at the Archives, but also to acknowledge and celebrate her role in our history.
Student & Academic Services for The Alberta Women's Memory Project - Last Updated July 24, 2018
