Emmy winner paints fresh view of Welland
Artist Michael Bedard sees Rose City as ‘a place of opportunity’
Michael Bedard has an Emmy Award under his belt. Actually, the Emmy stands tall on a table in his digs in downtown Welland, but location isn’t the issue. What I wanted to know is: What’s an Emmy winner doing in Welland?
Living and working, is what he says.
Bedard is internationally known and acclaimed as an artist, writer and animator. His book, “Sitting Ducks,” was published in five languages and won a handful of literary awards. It led to an animated television series that aired in 48 countries and inspired video games. The award of which he is most proud is Utah’s Beehive Book Award (2002), because the winning book in each division is chosen by children and students of Utah. That in itself says a lot, he says. The book is but one part of his fame.
Another is the animated feature, “The Santa Claus Brothers,” he created for television. Produced for Disney by Torontobased Nelvana Studios, it received an Emmy for animation and also two Gemini Awards. Released in 2001, Bedard says it still airs in places.
And one other is the art that has brought him fame and, I suppose, some fortune over the years. A bio says: “The art of Michael Bedard is known and collected throughout the world for its unique humour, visual style and its ability to touch both the funny bone and intellect. His iconic image of the ‘Sitting Ducks’ has become an internationally recognized symbol that encourages us to not take ourselves too seriously while reminding us of the vulnerability of being alive.”
We met in his living space and studio on the second floor of an off-the-beaten-path building down the Boardwalk, adjacent to the back of city hall.
He has a grand view of the recreational waterway from one of his windows, and enjoys the scenery and nature. Gulls, geese and ducks fly past, turning artist Bedard into an admirer of aerial grace. He lives here with Calvin, a bone-weary beagle well into his teens; there was another pooch — named Hobbs, of course — but he passed some time ago.
Bedard describes his arrival here in the Rose City as “a dotted trail for sure.”
He was born and raised in Windsor, the City of Roses, and moved to Los Angeles as his career flourished. He lived there about 40 years before returning to Canada. He and his family lived in the Queen Street West-Dovercourt Road area, which he loved, until “gentrification started forcing people out.”
“Condos were popping up, godzillas were rising everywhere,” he laments.
After a breakup with his wife Bedard started looking for new quarters. A friend knew someone in Welland who had a place where Bedard could store possessions. Admittedly reluctant to come at first, Bedard says he realized “the deserted space could create a wonderful studio.” He moved here in June 2017. He has no plans to move elsewhere at the moment.
“The long and short of it is, I enjoy being here,” he says. “I’ve had lots of friends come to visit and they’ve been impressed with the town.”
He likes the quiet and peace of mind compared to life in the Big Smoke, which was noisy and “insane at times.”
He keeps himself busy working on a book, which is nearing completion in terms of the writing but still has a ways to go where the art is concerned. He has new animation projects in the planning stage and an art exhibition in mind.
Bedard is becoming immersed in the life of the community.
For example, he says he frequents Black Sheep Lounge on Niagara Street, which he appreciates not just for palate-pleasing offerings, but for arts-related activities like poetry readings and a book club.
He attended Black Sheep’s first Welland Coffee Club session last week and was impressed with the quality of discussion and ideas shared. Bedard paints the owner Lucas Spinosa in glowing terms for his “positivity and energy” about Welland.
Bedard intends to be at the coffee club’s next meeting, May 8. He says he didn’t take part in discussion at the first, but hopes to pitch some of his ideas during May’s. He’s also interested in hearing from local artists, who can write to him at bedardsittingduck@gmail.com.
With a vast portfolio of experience from which he can draw, Bedard, 70, says he wants to be part of the action in his newfound home.
“I’ve come up with ideas that I want to present to the mayor’s office, I’ve already talked to his assistant,” he says. “I want to create things of interest that are unique to Welland, so people from Niagara and beyond will say, ‘Let’s go to Welland,’ whether it’s for a cabaret night or whatever. ‘Let’s go there!’”
It didn’t take long before Bedard pictured the city as “a place of opportunity.”
“One of the things I want to do is create a gallery that would give artists opportunity to showcase their work and create cultural dialogue. I want more artists to come here,” he says.
The eyes of this talented artist see Welland in a different light than some of us who look without seeing. After two sit-downs with him, I like his viewpoint about my hometown.
“I’m looking at it as a blank canvas,” Bedard says. “Where do we go from here?”
Joe Barkovich is a longtime Welland resident and retired journalist. whererailsandwatermeet@gmail.com