Painter honed art of volunteering at Lower Fort Garry historic site
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When visitors wandered around Lower Fort Garry National Historic Site in the summer of 2023, they encountered a rather unusual volunteer: artist JD Hawk at his easel, busily working on his live paintings.
Hawk engaged with visitors as he painted, encouraging them to come and ask questions about what he was working on.
The paintings he produced during his tenure were never intended for exhibition, however. They were rough drafts for him to reference later in the year when creating his final paintings.
MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS
Volunteer JD Hawk with colouring pages made from his oil paintings at the Lower Fort Garry historic site on Wednesday.
“There’s no fine detail, they’re not masterpieces. I consider them like a scrapbook, exploring the colours I would need to use for my master paintings,” he explains, adding that when he wasn’t painting he would walk around taking photographs for further reference material.
His observations, drafts and photos led to the creation of a body of 14 works, eight of which are now housed at the Lower Fort Garry Visitor Centre.
Recently three paintings — The Blacksmith, Afternoon Music and Waiting at the Gate — were adapted from dense oil compositions into line art drawings that will be used as colouring pages.
“I thought it was a great idea to have kids trying to colour what I’ve come up with, to see how it turns out for them,” he says.
Hawk’s volunteer role wasn’t the most unusual role at Lower Fort Garry, although it was the first time visitor services team leader Laurie MacDonell had been approached by an artist wanting to do live paintings at the site.
“We thought he would be a great addition to Lower Fort Garry because visitors would be inspired to connect to the site in through art,” she says.
MacDonell is always on the lookout for people with special skills to come on board the site’s “relatively small” volunteer program.
There are currently volunteer positions for living-history animators, costuming assistants, gardeners, musician, actors and performers, alongside more conventional positions like site host on the Lower Fort Garry website.
“Definitely there are some more unique opportunities at Lower Fort Gary but really anybody can reach out,” she says.
“I will usually listen to what people think they can contribute and match the experience to them. For instance, we have a few volunteers that come with their own knitting and embroidery supplies. They sit in costume in a beautiful location onsite and work independently. As visitors walk by, they will interact with them, explaining a bit about what they are doing.”
And you don’t have to be history buff to help out, either. One of the best parts of volunteering at Lower Fort Garry, MacDonell says, is the chance to learn while giving back to the community and spending time outdoors.
Those who want to help but are perhaps wary of putting on a costume can always “chip in in the garden.”
“It’s hard work being a volunteer gardener, but we have such big grounds here at Lower Fort Garry and there’s lots of maintenance work. Having gardeners volunteering to help deal with a lot of our weeding makes the site look so much more beautiful,” MacDonell says.
As the site’s first ever volunteer live painting artist, Hawk relished sharing his artistic process with curious visitors and even went as far as letting folks add a couple of brush strokes.
“I would get people asking if they could try painting and I didn’t mind,” he says, adding that while he enjoyed the experience he has no plans to reprise the role this summer as he’s retiring from painting.
“My vision is going … it’s going faster than it should,” he says. “I am having a hard time seeing details which is throwing me off my art work. And because of that it’s really hard to paint now.”
Back in his studio, five finished works — each taking him around two months to complete — are now in various stages of the six-month long curing and drying process required of heavy oil paintings.
One canvas, the final painting in the series, The Proposal, remains a work in progress.
“It currently sits on my easel, half-finished. I’m not working on anything else … I’m hoping to have it finished by the end of summer,” he says.
“However I’m officially retired and if I’m unable to finish this painting because of the personal struggles I’m dealing with, then that’s OK too.”
If you know a special volunteer, please contact AV.Kitching@freepress.mb.ca
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Volunteer opportunities
THE following is a list of volunteer opportunities for Winnipeg and surrounding areas. For more information about these listings, contact the organization directly. Volunteer Manitoba does not place volunteers with organizations but can help people find opportunities. To learn more about its programs and services, go to wfp.to/volunteers or call 204-477-5180.
The Tetra Society of North America is seeking dedicated volunteers in Winnipeg. It is looking for technical volunteers with engineering expertise, as well as engineering students, to help design and build customized assistive devices for people with disabilities. Outreach volunteers are also welcome to support community engagement and awareness activities. For more information and to register, please visit Tetra Volunteer Opportunities and complete the online registration form. Applications close Sept. 30.
The Good Neighbours Active Living Centre is looking for volunteers for a variety of roles in its café, front desk and meal program, as well as big events. Whether you can help weekly, monthly, or occasionally, they’d love to have you on their team! If you are interested in giving back to the community, please contact Paula Richardson at volunteer@gnalc.org or call 204-669-1710 to learn more. Deadline is Jan. 15.
Chalmers Neighbourhood Renewal Corporation is looking for volunteers to help make Elmwood’s night market possible! The night market will be held on Aug. 14 at 180 Poplar ave. Volunteer hours are from 2-9 p.m. for ages 13 and up. Roles include setup, maintenance, floater/vendor help, stagehands, greeter/counter, first aid and teardown. This is an outdoor, rain-or-shine event, so please prepare accordingly. Apply online at http://wfp.to/iMG. Deadline is Aug. 10.
The Leftovers Foundation is a food rescue charity with a dual mission of reducing food waste and increasing access to food for those facing barriers. Community members can participate by signing up through the foundation’s website or mobile app and becoming a donor (grower) or volunteering to complete routes. Growers with excess produce can submit a request any time and volunteers can harvest and deliver the produce to local service agencies as well as keep a portion for themselves. Sign up as a group or as an individual. Apply online at http://wfp.to/iM7. Deadline is Sept. 30.
Inclusion Winnipeg invites you to join its board of directors. Inclusion Winnipeg is a registered charity which has been dedicated to making life better for children and adults living with intellectual disabilities. It is seeking enthusiastic and dedicated individuals with backgrounds in governance, finance and accounting, fundraising and marketing. Successful candidates should have a commitment to the organization’s mission, and be able to attend and actively participate in monthly board meetings. For more information and to submit your application, please contact Caryn Birch, executive director at cbirch@inclusionwinnipeg.org. Deadline is July 17.
Project Linus Canada’s Winnipeg Chapter seeks individuals with crafting skills to donate new, handmade blankets. Their mission is to comfort local children and youth facing trauma from illness, abuse, or grief by gifting them these blankets. The donated blankets are distributed to partners like Toba Centre and Spence Neighbourhood Association. They accept knitted, crocheted, or quilted blankets, as long as they are new and handmade. Volunteers can use their own supplies or request donated materials. Blankets are accepted year round. Contact them by email at projectlinus.winnipegsouth@gmail.com or by calling 204-260-2200. Deadline is Dec. 15.
Be a PAL! St.Amant is looking for someone to be a part of their PALS program who enjoys watching shows like House of the Dragon or Twilight, swimming, going out to the mall, for pizza or sushi, or attending events or games. PALS stands for Partnership through Activities, Learning, and Sharing. It’s a volunteer opportunity designed to build meaningful, one-to-one connections between people supported by St.Amant and volunteers. Rooted in shared interests, the program promotes friendship, inclusion, and mutual joy through recreational and social activities. Criminal and child abuse registry checks are needed, costs to be reimbursed. Apply by email volunteer@stamant.ca. Deadline is Aug. 29.
MS Canada is seeking individuals to join its team to support the MS Bike – East St. Paul, which will take place Aug. 22-23. Volunteer assistance is needed throughout the event to ensure it runs smoothly and that participants have an enjoyable experience while biking to raise crucial funds for those affected by MS. Volunteers are required on Saturday and/or Sunday, Aug. 22-23, with shifts ranging from two to eight hours depending on the shift and level of commitment. For more information, visit the volunteer website and sign up directly by Aug. 17: http://wfp.to/iMs.
The Canadian Red Cross needs volunteers. The Red Cross can show you how to help when disaster strikes. Apply at wfp.to/0pE, volunteer@redcross.ca or 1-844-818-2155.
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