Honouring an artistic giant

By Olivia Bradbury / Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

The Holyrood Museum now has a gallery devoted to one of Newfoundland’s most celebrated and talented artists, the late Gerald Squires, who called the town home for many years up to his death in 2015.
A special unveiling of the works in the gallery was held July 6 and featured a visit by Premier John Hogan and other dignitaries.
Squires was born in the Change Islands, moved to Toronto as a young man where he composed illustrations for the big newspapers there at the time, then came back to the rock, settling for a time with his family in the Ferryland lighthouse, which became a sort of mecca for Newfoundland artists. A painter and sculptor, Squires dabbled in other artistic mediums, as well, but is probably best known for his landscapes including the rocky barrens of the Witless Bay Line, and his religious portraits, including a rendition of The Last Supper featuring Newfoundland personalities which graced the walls of Mary Queen of the World Church in Mount Pearl until the building was sold several years ago. Squires also spent a long portion of his life in Holyrood, where he lived and kept a studio and was almost continuously at work.
The idea for the gallery began with a special encounter. One evening, Linda Fraser, the president of the Holyrood Heritage Society, was just closing the museum up for the night when she happened to speak to the last visitor. It was Gail Squires, Gerry’s widow and a well-recognized artist in her own right. Gail was disappointed the museum did not have any of her late husband’s work. She invited Fraser to visit and choose a piece to display at the museum. Eventually, the idea of a whole gallery dedicated to Squires’ work blossomed.
The Gerald Squires Gallery is laid out in a way that highlights aspects of Squires’ life and artistic career. For example, one room is dedicated to his landscape paintings. Another is dedicated to paintings he and artist friends George Horan and Jean-Claude Roy created in each other’s company. One room includes works inspired by or made in collaboration with wife Gail. The gallery also showcases many of Squires’ portraits —of his daughters, friends, and famous individuals he admired. Perhaps the largest item in the gallery is Squires’ final piece, a landscape he was working on when he died of lung cancer in 2015. The gallery’s curator, artist Todd Chafe, gave a tour before the gallery’s official opening. When presenting the incomplete piece, he expressed the belief shared by himself and others at the museum that the work is, in fact, finished — the final piece of a life lived.
Squires’ family attended the opening ceremony and were grateful for the attention his much-lauded work received.
“You have spoken volumes by being here about the significance of Gerry’s work and the lasting impact he’s had on our community and beyond,” said Gail, who shared details about her husband’s creative spirit, curiosity, and authenticity. “He never pretended to be anything other than what he was. His genuineness attracted people from all walks of life. And he didn’t subscribe to the elitist idea that his talents should be confined to the traditional boundaries of fine art, and he supported other artists by contributing his work and skills to their projects.”
Gail thanked Fraser and the museum volunteers, and commended Chafe’s curatorship. “Todd’s knowledge and insight into art along with an instinctive grasp of Gerry’s work has created a uniquely compelling exhibition,” she said.
Squires also thanked well known photographer Ray Fennelly for having photographed many of Gerald’s works over the years for free and credited him and his College of the North Atlantic students for two large-format photographs of her husband, one of which was displayed in the gallery and the other on the outside of the museum. She also thanked photographer Manfred Buckheit for photographing Gerald’s life as an artist throughout the years — some of his photos are also featured in the gallery. Finally, she thanked the Holyrood town council for providing the Holyrood Heritage Society the building that now contains the gallery, and the Department of Tourism, Culture and Recreation for the Come Home Year grant which enabled the society to build a professional exhibition space. “I am truly grateful that Gerry now has a memorial museum to show his work and to preserve his cultural legacy for generations to come,” said Squires.
The Gerald Squires gallery has a unique element to it. Posted alongside the art pieces, rather than descriptions of the material and dimensions, there are instead quotes that relate to the pieces and Squires’ life. Some of the quotes come from the artist himself, some from friends and loved ones, some from people he admired. The gallery is on the second floor, and when visitors leave, they see one last quote posted above the stairs. During his last days, Squires’ youngest daughter, Esther, interviewed him. For the final question, she asked what he would like to say to his supporters. He response, the last quote visitors see before they depart the gallery, is as follows:
“Thank them… for being so patient with me, for understanding who I am. Very few people get that in their lives. I thank you all for that.”