Italian Centennial Fountain

Italian Park, Port Place Mall

Mr. and Mrs. Kennedy, a married couple residing in the Departure Bay neighbourhood, went on vacation to Italy in 1957. They were inspired by Italy’s fountains and asked Mayor Peter Maffeo to support the creation of an Italian-style fountain in Nanaimo. Two Nanaimo-based Italian Lodges agreed to take on the project with the support of the Mayor and Council. A fountain committee composed of members from the Italian Lodges was formed to lead the project. Members included: Jules Magnano (chairman), Tony Blasutig (secretary), Ray Capra (head of construction), Albert Venuti (stonework), E. Niccli, and Andy Erolini.

Gino Sedola, a local high school teacher and artist, was enlisted to design the fountain. Sedola brought on artists David Denbigh (Nanaimo-based marine illustrator) and George Norris (Vancouver-based sculptor) as volunteers to assist him in the process of creation and design. They wanted to reflect the idea of “this town on the sea” and selected the motif of spawning salmon swimming upstream. In 1958, the artist team shared their design with the Mayor, Council, and the fountain committee and it was approved to begin construction.

The granite for the walls of the fountain was quarried by volunteers from a glacial boulder near Yellow Point and tile for the mosaic was imported. It took over three years to build and the Italian Lodges and their members continued to fundraise for the installation throughout. The budget for all of the work and materials was quite small even at the time, and the project heavily relied on volunteer work to succeed. By the time of its completion, over 150 volunteers contributed their time and resources. The Italian Centennial Fountain was given to the City of Nanaimo in 1958 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the crown colony of British Columbia in 1858.

Gino Sedola (1927-2008) earned the John Thomson Heritage Memorial Award in 2007 and Nanaimo’s Freedom of the City award in 2008. He served as Chairman of the Nanaimo Harbour Commission and was an active member of more than 25 organizations, including being a founding member and original director of the Nanaimo Museum Society.

George A. Norris (1928-2013) documented the undertaking of the Italian Centennial Fountain project, providing details of its inception, creation, and completion. Italian Centennial Fountain was one of his first public artworks, predated only by a sculpture outside of UBC’s library, Mother and Child, 1956. He went on to create public artworks that were installed at locations across Vancouver Island and the lower mainland. Norris studied at the Vancouver School of Art, Syracuse University, and the Slade School of Art in London. Later in his career, he worked as a teacher at UBC, Banff School of Fine Art, and Emily Carr College of Art.

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