Railway-themed commissioned bench unveiled at Revelstoke Visual Arts Centre

The Revelstoke Visual Arts Gallery (RVAC) unveiled a commissioned bench, designed and built by Andrew Stacey in late August in the Xeriscape gardens, next to the centre.

The installment was completely funded by a donation from Leslie and David Evans. The Evans family moved to Revelstoke more than 10 years ago when they bought the McKinnon Building on First Street. The family contributed to the Revelstoke arts community in a variety of ways but were perhaps best known for their Nickelodeon Museum, which featured an eclectic collection of mechanical instruments. Mirroring the mechanical brilliance of their museum and capturing Revelstoke’s deep railroad history, the bench comes with buttons, switches, and levers and sits on an old railway tie.

“When I accepted this commission from Judy Goodman to construct the garden bench, the desire was to capture an essence of Revelstoke heritage and community in its design,” said Andrew Stacey, designer and builder of the bench.

The bench sits amongst the Xeriscape gardens, which is to the right of RVAC. The rail line runs behind the bench, offering a perfect backdrop to the railway-themed bench as the train passes by.

“It looks like it could roll away if there was just a bit more track to run on,” said Stacey.

Every aspect of the bench was chosen with intent. From the colour scheme, which was inspired by the 1950s livery of CP trains, to the piece of rail that the bench sits on, which was constructed by West Cumberland Steel Co. for the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1882.

“I would like to thank everyone who contributed for their support of my creative aspirations and community arts and culture,” said Stacey.

The bench is a permanent installation at RVAC, and residents are encouraged to go by the centre, take in the gardens, and sit on this one-of-a-kind bench.

READ MORE: Trades job market is expecting to have to fill over 80,000 jobs in the next ten years

READ MORE: PHOTOS: Revelstoke students come together in learning for Orange Shirt Day