UNews - Coutts Centre for Western Canadian Heritage

Power Corporation of Canada, Canada Life gift to support scientific discovery at ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge

trevor.kenney — Fri, 10 Jan 2020 16:12:39 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge is pleased to announce that Power Corporation of Canada, together with Canada Life, is continuing its longstanding support of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ with a multi-faceted gift supporting scientific discovery and liberal education.

The donation, which totals $400,000 between the two organizations, includes $250,000 from Power Corporation and an additional $150,000 from Canada Life. The Power Corporation gift includes support to the Dr. Jim Coutts Prairie Research Program, a research program headed by U of L biologist Dr. Roy Golsteyn, and towards the development of a flexible lab and makerspace within the new Science Commons building.

The Canada Life gift also supports the Science Commons spaces and the valuable infrastructure that will allow U of L faculty and students to break boundaries with this unique and innovative research.

“At Canada Life, we believe education opens doors to the future. We’ve been a longtime supporter of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge, and we’re pleased our funding can help bring the Science Commons to life,” says Paul Mahon, chief executive officer, Canada, at Canada Life. “The space is purposefully built to bring students of all ages together to learn from each other, experts and innovative programs, as well as support important research. We know this flexible lab and makerspace is a valuable addition to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ and will be a great asset to the community for years to come.”

Golsteyn’s project is specific to southern Alberta and born of the close relationship the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ has had with the traditional Blackfoot territory on which it is situated, and the Blackfoot people. It’s a relationship that was also important to Dr. Jim Coutts (LLD ’12), whose generous gift of his homestead property led to the establishment of the Coutts Centre for Western Canadian Heritage in June 2011.

Coutts had a passion for the ecosystem of Western Canada and, in particular, the preservation and propagation of Western Canadian native prairie grasses. Golsteyn’s lab has become a space for students from the Blackfoot community who wish to use scientific approaches to study plants they may already know by Traditional knowledge or by knowledge from Blackfoot elders. The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge is an excellent place to foster different ways of viewing prairie plants and their impact on human cells, and specifically cancer cells.

“It is astonishing that, even in the 21st century, we are only beginning to realize that plants from the Alberta prairies contain chemicals of medical importance,” says Golsteyn. “This funding will continue to support our students and our research as we investigate these plants, seeking the chemicals that may lead to new and better treatments for eradicating cancer.”

“Power Corporation of Canada believes that leading-edge research and great educators change lives for the better and improve our communities,” mentions Paul Genest, senior vice-president, Power Corporation of Canada. “That is why we are so pleased to support the Dr. Jim Coutts Prairie Research Program, and to partner with Canada Life in support of the Science Commons Flexible Lab Space here at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge. The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ and Dr. Golsteyn are to be commended for their commitment to scientific innovation, using an approach that is respectful of indigenous knowledge and our Canadian ecological and cultural heritage.”

The investments are part of the U of L’s SHINE campaign and highlight the relationship with the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ’s corporate partners and their support of a knowledge-driven future where faculty and students work to discover new solutions to perplexing problems and enabling positive change.

“We’re extremely grateful to Power Corporation of Canada for recognizing the incredible potential of Dr. Golsteyn’s project and how their support will push this research forward while empowering the next generation of scientific leaders, and to Canada Life for their support of Science Commons, which is changing the way we engage science students and the community at the U of L,” says Dr. Mike Mahon, the U of L’s president and vice-chancellor.

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ’s SHINE campaign continues to garner unprecedented donor support and has currently raised $88 million toward its $100-million goal.

Annual En Plein Air art exhibition largest yet with over 140 original works

trevor.kenney — Tue, 26 Nov 2019 18:56:43 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Art Gallery continues the en plein air tradition, the act of creating art outdoors, inviting artists to the Coutts Centre for Western Canadian Heritage monthly from May through September. Inspired by the stunning garden property, located near Nanton, the largest number of participating artists have contributed the largest number of artworks for thesixth annual En Plein Air exhibition, opening at the Dr. James Foster Penny Building, Saturday, Nov. 30, with an opening reception from 3-5 p.m.

The largest number of participating artists have contributed the largest number of artworks for the sixth annual En Plein Air exhibition.

The 2019 En Plein Air art exhibition, running November 30 through December 20, will feature the largest number of works since its inception, with 43 artists contributing 144 pieces.

“The En Plein Air exhibition continues to demonstrate increasing strength and quality as a group exhibition while attracting new participants and submissions from southern Alberta and BC artists,” says Jon Oxley, Art Gallery administrative manager. “The Coutts Centre gardens and buildings keep changing each year, and the artists keep finding new themes and focus all around its lush 12 acres.”

New to the exhibition this year is photography by Morton Molyneaux, who used an ancient Brownie camera, and did his own platinum and palladium photographic processing, with very unique results. There is a ceramic model of the Camera Obscura located on the property, featuring a light-powered occulus requiring the viewer to peer into the ceramic silo. There’s a large bowl of giant ceramic seeds, and the largest painting ever submitted to the En Plein Air exhibition, a Gainsborough-like garden setting with a cellist in the foreground.

Donated to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge in 2011, the Coutts Centre for Western Canadian Heritage has become a living classroom where students, faculty and visitors can make use of the natural setting to study the history, artwork, ecosystems and geography associated with the area.

“Dr. Jim Coutts believed strongly in supporting the arts,” explains Oxley. “It’s an honour to help continue his legacy by inviting artists to his property each summer and seeing their work exhibited soon after.”

Co-sponsored by the Faculty of Fine Arts and the Coutts Centre for Western Canadian Heritage, En Plein Air opens with a reception on Saturday, Nov. 30, 3-5 p.m. in the Penny Gallery. The exhibition, running until Dec. 20, is open to the public Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Third annual En Plein Air exhibition returns to Penny Gallery

trevor.kenney — Mon, 27 Nov 2017 21:28:21 +0000

The beautiful gardens of the Coutts Centre for Western Canadian Heritage continued to inspire artists throughout 2017 during the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Art Gallery’s En Plein Air artist opportunities, and the fruits of their labour will be on display at the Dr. Foster James Penny Building December 2-22.

En Plein Air runs Dec. 2-22, and is open to the public Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

From May through August 2017, the uLethbridge Art Gallery hosted three “En Plein Air days” and the Faculty of Fine Arts hosted the Coutts Centre Arts Festival on July 23 – a day of live music, art making, garden tours and a performance by the Lethbridge Shakespeare Performance Society. The works submitted for the En Plein Air 2017 exhibition represent the work of participating artists, depicting the many moods, weather systems, and lighting conditions of the Coutts Centre, from blossom to harvest. The array of colours and media in this exhibition are as diverse as the grounds at the Coutts family homestead.

“This year we are excited to present 97 distinct pieces from 29 artists that joined us at En Plein Air this summer,” says Jon Oxley, uLethbridge Art Gallery administrative manager. “There are 92 2D works, with one artist submitting 26 small pieces installed in a grid, and the rest are 3D sculptural works including a grouping of five ceramic poppy heads with metal stands, small knitted yarn pieces, a wall mounted grain silo and a large quilt.”

Co-sponsored by the Faculty of Fine Arts and Alumni Relations, En Plein Air opens with a reception on Saturday, Dec. 2, 3-5 pm in the Penny Gallery. The exhibition, running until Dec. 22, is open to the public Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Auction of the late Dr. Coutts's personal items to benefit Coutts Centre for Western Canadian Heritage

trevor.kenney — Fri, 03 Oct 2014 20:36:36 +0000

The late Dr. Jim Coutts (LLD ’12) left a legacy to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge with the establishment of the Coutts Centre for Western Canadian Heritage, and now, that legacy will endure thanks in part to an auction of Coutts’s personal items in support of the Coutts Centre.

The late Dr. Jim Coutts was a southern-Alberta based art collector and philanthropist who made his mark professionally and politically as the former secretary and advisor to two Canadian Prime Ministers (Lester B. Pearson and Pierre Trudeau).

In 2010, Coutts donated his family homestead outside of Nanton, Alta. to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ to establish the Coutts Centre for Western Canadian Heritage. He also donated a significant portion of his personal art collection to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Art Gallery. This gift currently numbers over 300 pieces that are a part of the collection and is a much-cherished resource for the students of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ and the people of southern Alberta.

Prior to his passing on December 31, 2013, Coutts had expressed his desire that items remaining from his personal collection of art and furnishings that were not given to the U of L Art Gallery be publicly auctioned, with the proceeds going to support the Coutts Centre for Western Canadian Heritage.

One of the pieces available for auction.

“Jim entrusted the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ with a significant part of his life's work and passion by gifting his art collection and family homestead in Nanton to the stewardship and care of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge,” says ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge President and Vice-Chancellor Dr. Mike Mahon. “We were humbled to receive that gift at the time and remain grateful to Jim for leaving such a legacy to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ with the expressed desire to see it benefit Canadians. This auction will further that vision.”

Jim Coutts was a southern-Alberta based art collector and philanthropist who made his mark professionally and politically as the former secretary and advisor to two Canadian Prime Ministers (Lester B. Pearson and Pierre Trudeau).

The auction will be conducted online from Oct. 6 to 18, 2014 by Levis Fine Art Auctions & Appraisals. It will feature more than 200 pieces from Coutts’s collection, including paintings, prints, sculptures, photography and a collection of over 40 unique and unusual walking sticks and canes. A live auction of select items will then take place in Calgary on November 23, 2014.

“Jim’s life was one that was well-lived and the items available for auction represent the many aspects of his vibrant character,” says Mahon. “He truly was a one-of-a-kind individual and an iconic Canadian. We’re very grateful to have had such a great relationship with him.”

Coutts never failed to express his affinity for his hometown of Nanton and the southern Alberta area, and upon reflection, recognized how it shaped his art collection.

“Part of the landscape you know as a youth travels with you – and part of you always remains in your home landscape. That was my experience of southwest Alberta – especially the Porcupine Hills,” Coutts once wrote in an essay on collecting for the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ. “There is a German expression, “Heimweh”, which translates as “home pain”. It is more than home-sickness – it is the profound and lasting longing in the stranger to be home – a feeling that over the years gave much substance to works of art and song. The works that I’ve collected along the way usually reflect my “home pain”.

For more on the Coutts art auction, visit the Levis Fine Art Auctions & Appraisals website.

For additional information on the life of Jim Coutts, visit the Coutts Centre for Western Canadian Heritage website.

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ saddened by passing of Jim Coutts

trevor.kenney — Thu, 02 Jan 2014 17:42:27 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge community offers its deepest condolences to the friends and family of Dr. James Allan Coutts (LLD 2012) who passed away peacefully in Toronto on December 31, 2013.

"Jim Coutts was an incredibly generous person and an outstanding Canadian who made great contributions in public life to our country and was incredibly generous and supportive of our ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ. We will miss him greatly," says Dr. Mike Mahon, President and Vice-Chancellor.

Jim Coutts was an icon in Canadian political circles.

"Jim entrusted the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ with a significant part of his life's work and passion through gifting his art collection and family homestead in Nanton to the stewardship and care of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge. We were humbled to receive that gift at the time and remain grateful to Jim for leaving such a legacy to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ with the expressed desire to see it benefit Canadians. Jim was very interested in the continued success of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ and dedicated significant amounts of his time in recent years connecting the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ to others and sharing the story of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ."

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge flag has been lowered to half mast in Jim's honour.

Coutts, James Allan, C.M. - Passed away peacefully on December 31, 2013 after a long illness bravely fought. Survived by his sister Jean (Wayne) Moore, his nephews Greg (Cathrine) and Michael (Yehudit), his nieces Pat (Owen) and Laurie, his great nieces and nephews Heather, Jessica, Darren, Liam and Emily.

Jim had a tremendous gift in friendship and will be sorely missed by his many close friends across Canada, in the United States and throughout Europe, and by his devoted assistants Anne Drakes and Sukhlal Patel.

Coutts was most at peace while walking the gardens of his homestead property in Nanton.

Born in High River, Alberta, on May 16, 1938, to Ewart and Alberta (Allan) Coutts, Jim grew up in his beloved Nanton. He received a BA and LLB from the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Alberta and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Though he practised as a lawyer and business consultant, his great love since the age of 14 was politics in general and the Liberal Party of Canada in particular. From 1963 to 1966 he was Appointment Secretary to the Prime Minister of Canada, the Right Honourable Lester B. Pearson. From 1975 to 1981 he served as Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister of Canada, the Right Honourable Pierre Elliott Trudeau.

From 1970 to 1975, Jim was a Founding Partner, Canada Consulting Group, where he helped Maurice Strong organize the Stockholm Environment Conference and establish the UN’s Environment headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya. In 1982 he became a principal of Lowther Consultants Limited and subsequently Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, CIC Canadian Investment Capital Limited.

Jim’s business success seemed merely a means by which he could undertake his highly activist philanthropy as a generous donor, a relentless fundraiser and a dedicated mentor to countless young people and more than 17 god children. Jim served with exceptional distinction as a founder and chairman of the Lester B. Pearson United World College of the Pacific Foundation Board; a co-founder with The Writers’ Trust of Canada of the W.O. Mitchell Literary Prize for Writers and Mentors; a director of The Hospital for Sick Children Board and Foundation for 17 years; a National Chair of the Nature Conservancy of Canada, where he took the lead in organizing two campaigns that raised over $700 million for conservation in Canada; and a member of the board of the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation.

In recognition of his service to others and to his country, he was named a Member of the Order of Canada in 2001. In 2012 he donated his family homestead, which he so passionately restored to renowned gardens with native grasses, to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge. In addition, Jim donated more than 300 works of art to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge. Later he was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Laws Degree by the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ.

Jim was a man of many interests. He was a voracious reader and art collector, an avid bird-watcher and gardener, a keen traveler and essayist, a family historian and social analyst. Though he failed in his attempts to become a Member of Parliament, his wise counsel was constantly sought by prime ministers, federal and provincial MPs and party officials to his very last days. He was an unfailing advocate for social justice, education and youth employment. Jim was a true and giving friend to many, from all walks of life, who will miss his stories, his wit, his knowledge, his guidance and his loyalty.

Celebrations of Jim’s life – both in Toronto and in Nanton, Alberta, will be announced at a later date.

Gift launches Coutts Centre for Western Canadian Heritage

trevor.kenney — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 23:17:36 +0000

Jim Coutts, a southern Alberta-based art collector, political advisor and philanthropist, has formally turned over his homestead property and a significant portion of his art collection to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge.

On Thursday, June 30, the U of L will formally recognize Coutts for his gift, and launch the Coutts Centre for Western Canadian Heritage, located on the more than 100-year-old property that once belonged to Coutts's grandfather.

Jim Coutts shares his homestead property with southern Albertans.

The gift, valued at more than $2 million, is comprised of a quarter section of land, the original homestead, extensive gardens and restored outbuildings, as well as more than 200 items from his personal art collection.

Coutts, whose homestead is located just east of Nanton, Alta., is the former secretary and advisor to two Canadian prime ministers (Pearson and Trudeau). He has travelled extensively and acquired art from around the world, with a large portion of his collection showing a clear western Canadian theme.

He purchased the homestead property in 1988 and has since rebuilt it with extensive gardens, restored farm buildings and plots of native grasses and other plants as a tribute to his family and their struggles as pioneers in a harsh prairie environment.

A noted art collector, Coutts gifted many of his most prized pieces to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge.

"When you look at the place now with the gardens, grasses and trees and the beauty depicted in the photographs and paintings, that's one thing," says Coutts. "But for many years, for those who came first, it was a very difficult and painful place to live."

Follow this link to a flickr gallery of photos of the Coutts Centre for Western Canadian Heritage. Watch the video below as Coutts describes his connection to the land and his vision for the Coutts Centre.

The property is very much an expression of Coutts himself. The buildings are scattered across the land and include the original homestead; a chicken house, now a guest suite; a barn; and an old ice house and granary, moved from Coutts's mother's neighbouring property, and which are now used as artists' sanctuaries. Additionally, the landscaping and gardens are structured to welcome visitors and encourage exploration.

"Gardens really don't belong to you," Coutts says of his decision to donate the property to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ. "You may as well make it a public place where people can come, freely wander around and experience it. It's your garden, but in fact, nobody really owns their garden. You create a garden, but it is there for everybody."

Coutts was born in nearby High River, but grew up in Nanton. "When you grow up someplace, part of you stays there and part of that place goes with you wherever you are," says Coutts. "Wherever I travelled I always thought of Nanton because it was where I was raised, and I always thought of the land, the prairies, the foothills and so I wanted to have some connection with it and that's why I came back."

"People say you can't go back -- you leave someplace, you really can't go back," says Coutts. "You can visit your parents or you can visit your friends but I've just been blessed because I've been able to come back, I've been able to be a part of the community and be here. I feel I belong here and this is part of me."

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ has asked Coutts to stay involved and to help in the future development of the property.

"The idea is it would be a centre for the visual arts, a centre for horticulture, a centre for prairie restoration and a centre for rural community development," says Coutts. "The development has been a partnership: a partnership with the gardeners, a partnership with the carpenters and the men and women who helped with the restoration, and it's a partnership with my neighbours."

Coutts had been pondering what might happen to the property in the future and, like the many relationships he has developed to create the property, wanted to find a suitable partner to help carry on the work he started.

"The people from the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge were prepared to do exactly what I wanted," says Coutts. "They were prepared to keep it going. It was a continuum of what I started, what I was doing and what I wanted to see in the future."

The property enables the U of L to enhance the student experience in ways relevant to the goals and values described within the framework of a liberal education. "Treating the Coutts Centre as a living classroom, students, faculty and visitors will make use of the natural setting to study the history, artwork, ecosystems and geography associated with the area," says U of L President Mike Mahon.

"We are honoured to be entrusted with this incredible property and more than 200 works of art depicting the beauty of the prairie landscape," says Mahon. "As southern Alberta's university, we recognize the great responsibility we have to all those who call the prairies home."

Some of the artwork donated by Coutts has been displayed through curated exhibitions and publications, and objects from the collection have already been made available to students and faculty during the course of their study.

"We are very grateful to have Jim Coutts as a partner as we establish the Coutts Centre for Western Canadian Heritage, which will preserve and celebrate the diverse culture that is central to the spirit of the west," says Mahon.

"The opportunities this presents for our students, faculty and the southern Alberta community are extensive, and I know many people will look forward to learning in this remarkable location."

UNews - Coutts Centre for Western Canadian Heritage

Power Corporation of Canada, Canada Life gift to support scientific discovery at ��Ѹ�����Դ���߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge

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