In the fall of 2023, the City of Humboldt’s permanent art collection received an amazing donation – the Saskatchewan Centennial Commemorative Mural by Richard Widdifield, which was donated by the Saskatchewan NDP. This stunning piece, which is 6 feet tall and 11 feet across, is currently hanging in the Humboldt & District Museum on the Main Floor.

This mural depicts the visual history of the province from 1905 to 2005 and contains references to 100s of Saskatchewan people and communities – including two Humboldt references!

Richard Widdifield’s journey to painting the Saskatchewan Centennial Commemorative Mural began in 1989 when he travelled to over 300 provincial heritage sites with the goal of one day writing a book. This research eventually became the foundation for the mural which he was commissioned to paint in 2004 for the 2005 Centennial.

Richard will be at the Museum to talk about his comprehensive research into Saskatchewan history and all of the steps that went into turning this complex idea into reality. See some of the early sketches of the mural and discuss the visual heritage of Saskatchewan.