This Virtual Cache lies on the grounds of the Beaverbrook Art Gallery (BAG) which is home to my favourite painting: Santiago el Grande, a magnificent masterpiece by Salvador Dali. You have to see it to believe it!
I chose this location for many reasons. You are standing on the banks of the mighty Wolastoq, the original name of the Saint John River which was a communication route for centuries among local Indigenous communities. Since then, it has been a source of food, fun and importantly, transportation for locals. So much so, that in 1813, 600 soldiers of New Brunswick’s 104th Regiment of Foot marched north to Upper Canada to participate in the Spring Offensive in the war against the United States. Standing quietly, just imagine the crunch of snowshoes on a cold crisp day. Or the sound of a steam whistle from the General Smyth as it plied its way to the Fredericton city wharf, while eagles circled overhead waiting for the perfect moment to strike a salmon.
In front of you is a sculpture by Dennis Oppenheim entitled “Arriving Home” - (2017) and that is how you might feel as you explore this magical place called Fredericton. Across the street is the Provincial Legislature which is home to one of five works titled "Birds of America" by John James Audubon. In the next block is Officers’ Square, home to the Fredericton Region Museum and the site of Canada’s original School of Infantry. Further down Queen Street, you will find City Hall, once an opera house and a market!! Another market place is two streets south on George St. On Saturday mornings at the Boyce Market you can meet old friends or even rub shoulders with the Premier of NB as he buys fresh, locally grown produce.
There are certainly more gems in our capital city, but some of the best are inside the BAG. The Gallery, designed as a gift to New Brunswickers by Sir William Maxwell Aitken, PC ONB, better known as Lord Beaverbrook, a philanthropist, newspaper magnate, and a friend of Sir Winston Churchill. He funded the building of the gallery and assembled the original collection. It opened in 1959 with over 300 works, including paintings by New Brunswick artists such as Miller Brittain, Bruno Bobak and Mary Pratt. The Beaverbrook Art Gallery is now New Brunswick's officially designated provincial art gallery. The building has undergone several expansions, the latest of which opened in 2017 and hosts Santiago el Grande in its own purpose-built gallery space. This September will mark the 60th anniversary of the operation of the Gallery!
To claim this Smiley, send the answer to this question: What is the name of the tallest sculpture in the TD Sculpture Garden?
Virtual Rewards 2.0 - 2019/2020
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between June 4, 2019 and June 4, 2020. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards 2.0 on the Geocaching Blog.
Congratulations to Find.fix for FTF! It’s very appropriate that an international cacher makes the first find to what is our biggest jewel in the Fredericton/New Brunswick crown!