The Edmonton Police Service (EPS) is on the lookout for prominent historical figure Emily Murphy following the recent theft of her statue from the park in the Edmonton river valley Tuesday.
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When City of Edmonton park workers were conducting routine maintenance they were greeted by a notable absence at Emily Murphy Park near the south side of Groat Road on Tuesday where the park’s statue, a depiction of its namesake, had been hacked off at the ankles leaving nothing but her shoes.
Renee Williams, executive director of the Edmonton Arts Council, said they were notified of the theft of the statue and its associated plaques Tuesday.
“We were definitely shocked, surprised, and to be honest, disappointed,” said Williams of the theft in an interview on Wednesday.
While the parks throughout the city are maintained by the City of Edmonton, Williams said the arts council looks after public artwork in the parks, including the Emily Murphy statue.
The piece was privately commissioned by Pearl Hawrelak Porter (former mayor William Hawrelak’s wife) and created by Donna Marchyshyn-Shymko. It was originally installed in the park in 1992. Williams didn’t know the original price, but said a recent appraisal of the bronze statue had it valued at $250,000. She said that upon finding the statue cut and stolen, the city filed a police report and hope to locate the stolen artwork.
A member of Alberta’s “Famous Five” alongside Nellie McClung, Louise McKinney, Irene Parlby, and Henrietta Edwards, who fought and won for women to be recognized as persons in the British North America Act, Murphy’s legacy has shifted in recent years from trail-blazing feminist icon to racist. Her writings reveal deep-seated racism towards numerous groups, and spurred previous vandalism of the statue in 2020 when the piece was splattered in red paint with the word ‘racist’ sprayed on the plaque below.
Despite the history of the figure, Williams said it is disappointing to see a piece of public artwork taken and that the arts council takes the theft seriously.
“We’ve got just under 300 pieces in the public art collection for the City of Edmonton. And as we know, public art contributes to the vibrancy of Edmonton,” said Williams.
“The public loves to be out and about, walking near these pieces, taking photos. It generates conversation and connection and community. And so knowing that this piece is gone, it kind of speaks to a bit of a gap in the space.”
For now, Williams said the group will have to let the investigation play out until they locate the statue and can assess the damage to determine if it could be refurbished.
Williams said that the Emily Murphy statue wasn’t the first to go missing or be vandalized in the city. She said in some cases the pieces were found, while others were beyond repair. In this theft, Williams hopes the statue is found to figure out next steps.
“We want to make sure we can understand where this piece is, and hopefully that will reveal itself in time with the police investigation.”