Name/Title
Centennial Square Fountain, Victoria, B.C.Entry/Object ID
2026.04.01Description
IN PROCESS
Painting
This vibrant image depicts the fountain in Centennial Square, a plaza in Victoria, B.C. adjacent to City Hall shown in the background to the left and the MacPherson Playhouse to the right. The dramatic MidCentury fountain includes a trio of mosaic monoliths by the late renowned Victoria artist John (Jack) Craig Seaton Wilkinson, RCA (1927-2007). The monoliths sculpture depicts mythological themes of growth. The square and sculpture were built to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the incorporation of the City of Victoria.
Signed and dated lower right - Avis Rasmussen 2023?Artwork Details
Medium
Watercolour on paperSubject Place
Region
Pacific NorthwestContinent
North AmericaContext
Centennial Square, 1965
Victoria, British Columbia
Planning & Coordination by Rod Clack
Centennial Square Design by Alan J. Hodgson with
Rod Clack and Clive Justice (Muirhead & Justice Landscape Architects)
Retail Arcade & Parking Structure by John Di Castri
Senior Activities Centre by Clive Campbell
Renovation of the Police Building by Don Wagg
Pantages Theatre Renovation by Alan Hodgson
Fountain & Mosaic Design by Jack C.S. Wilkinson
Friends of Centennial Square is leading efforts in Victoria to save a modern cultural icon in the heart of the city. Centennial Fountain was erected as part of a larger effort to revitalize this civic space in commemoration of Victoria’s centenary celebrations back in the early 1960’s. Today, the City of Victoria is revisiting the design of Centennial Square with an eye towards to the removal of this fountain. Those in the community who see this unique modern installation as critical to the popular culture of the City and to the context of the square, are advocating for it’s retention and revitalization.
Centennial Square: A Cultural Landmark
The following excerpt has been taken from the Centennial Square Statement of Significance Report. [1]
“Centennial Square is a public space located in downtown Victoria on the west side of Douglas Street, mid-block between Fisgard Street to the north and Pandora Avenue to the south. The square is framed by public buildings, which include three 19th century buildings of historic significance. Victoria’s Old City Hall (1878-1891) and its 1963 modernist addition frame the south edge of the square. A four-storey city-owned parking garage with an attached 2-storey office space Douglas Street along Douglas Street defines the north edge. The Capital Regional District Headquarters and the historic McPherson Theatre (formerly the Pantages Theatre) form the west edge. The ground plane of the square consists of a radial pattern of curving brick bands defining the edge of terracing steps that descend from Douglas Street toward a circular fountain. The fountain contains three monoliths that rise up to 28 feet in height. They have raked concrete ridges on one side, and Italian glass mosaics on the other. Fountains and underwater lighting animate the monoliths during the day and after dark. The fountain is encircled by a sculptural pre-cast concrete ring with repeating arches that give it a crown-like appearance. Brick and exposed aggregate are used extensively throughout the square. Walled planting areas are used as a secondary element to accent and soften the edges.”
“The fountain was a gift from the adjoining municipalities of Oak Bay, Saanich and Esquimalt and commemorated the Victoria Centenary. The design was a collaboration between artist Jack C.S. Wilkinson and Rod Clack. The fountain consists of three monoliths measuring 20 feet (6.1 meters), 23 feet (7 meters) and 28 feet (8.5 meters) in height. The monoliths are decorated with Italian glass mosaics in a palette of reflective gold tiles depicting scenes and imagery representing “three fundamental elements of life”. The smallest of the panels symbolically faces Oak Bay and depicts “youth” and the “experience of physical life capped by the shield of knowledge”, represented by the University of Victoria crest (The University of Victoria had just attained the status of a University in 1963). The second monolith faces Esquimalt and depicts themes of procreation and representations of womanhood. The tallest monolith faces Saanich and depicts the legend of St. George & the dragon, symbolizing humankind’s struggle against evil. 13 The fountain was meant to be the unifying symbol of the square.”
[1] Centennial Square Statement of Significance Report. John O’Reilly, Heritage Planner, City of Victoria. July 6, 2018. City of Victoria.Made/Created
Artist Information
Artist
Avis Margaret RasmussenRole
ArtistDate made
2023Time Period
21st CenturyNotes
BIOGRAPHY
Born in Sidney, B.C., Avis Margaret Rasmussen is a Victoria-based painter and printmaker of national and international renown, as well as a poet-illustrator of chapbooks. She paints around Sidney and Victoria where she lives, and on her travels in many countries.
Rasmussen was educated locally and in 1975 she earned a B.Ed. degree (art major) from the University of Victoria, and in 1979, a BFA degree (with distinction) from the University of Victoria. She also studied and worked extensively with two artists, the painter John Dobereiner (1920-1985) and the printmaker Pat Martin Bates RCA (1927-). Her third degree was an M.Ed (Counselling and Art) from the University of Victoria in 1982.
She has had a lifelong passion for painting in the changing light of the Pacific coast painting “en plein air” with the Peninsular Plein Air Painters as well as locally and afar. Also skilled in relief printmaking including linocuts, monoprints and collographs, she is a member of the Ground Zero Printmaker's Studio in Victoria. Rasmussen has also been active in advocating for the arts community in Victoria through a number of organizations. Through this participation, she continues to share and provide for future generations of artists. Rasmussen is active in the Victoria Sketch Club and is a longtime member of CARFAC BC and the Victoria Arts Council.
Over her long career, Rasmussen has produced hundreds of works ranging from monumental-scale abstract expressionist oils on canvas to small detailed woodblock prints and "en plein air" watercolours. She has garnered many awards, and has participated in international exhibitions from South Africa to Italy to New Zealand. Her works are represented in public gallery collections, as well as in private collections in Canada, the United States, and Europe.Inscription/Signature/Marks
Type
Signature, DateLocation
Lower right corner:Acquisition
Acquisition Method
PurchaseDate
2025Relationships
Related Entries
Notes
By John (Jack) Craig Seaton Wilkinson:
2015.03.01 Portrait of Harry De Zwager
2018.08.16 'La Fille de Bordeaux' Series [Red scarf girl]
2023.09.01 'La Fille de Bordeaux' Series [White blouse girl]Copyright
Notes
Images are provided for research and reference use only. Permission to publish, copy, or otherwise use these images must be obtained from the copyright holder. It is the sole responsibility of the applicant to determine the copyright holder and to obtain permission(s) as needed.
