Faculty, staff, colleagues, family and friends of the University of Alberta Faculty of Law gathered in CN Alumni Hall on Wednesday, September 16, to celebrate the portrait unveiling of former Dean Philip Bryden.
The unveiling of a portrait is an interesting and curious occasion for a variety of reasons, not least of which is that it offers people the chance to both opine on the work of the artist, and to reflect on what it means to have a portrait done.
Philip Bryden was appointed Deputy Minister of Justice and Deputy Solicitor General of Alberta in 2015. He was Dean of Law at the University of Alberta Faculty of Law from 2009-2014 and Dean of Law at the University of New Brunswick from 2004-2009. He was a member of the University of British Columbia Faculty of Law from 1985-2004, and practiced law part-time as Associate Counsel to Heenan Blaikie in Vancouver from 1993-2004.
Over the course of Mr. Bryden's career he served on the boards of a number of voluntary organizations, including the Canadian Institute for the Administration of Justice, the Council of Canadian Administrative Tribunals, the Council of Canadian Law Deans, the Alberta Law Reform Institute and the British Columbia Civil Liberties Association.
During Mr. Bryden's speech, he explained the story behind his portrait and the local artist-Stephen Scott-whom he chose on the recommendation of his friend at the Beaverbrook Art Gallery in Fredericton, New Brunswick.
Mr. Scott painted Mr. Bryden's first portrait when he was Dean at the University of New Brunswick's law school. Mr. Scott provided Mr. Bryden with a study of his first portrait, and will be providing him with a study of his second portrait, which will hang in the den at his home. Bryden jokingly said, "while it's rather indulgent to have two portraits of myself at home, the dog has three, so he is clear on his importance in the household."
Dean Paton remarked, "In the age of selfies, Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat, Vine, and whatever other forms of social media I'm not aware of, even the idea of a painted portrait seems rather quaint, or perhaps very Harry Potter. There are evenings when I'm working late-often-on the fourth floor and I walk past the portraits and swear that their eyes are moving, following me, and offering laser sharp critiques of how I'm handling their legacy.
Congratulations Mr. Bryden on your appointment as Deputy Minister of Justice and Deputy Solicitor General, we wish you very well for the challenges that lie ahead, and know that you will remain a friend of the Faculty and the University-perhaps with your eyes moving with the rest of the gallery when Dean Paton is closing up at night.
About the Artist:
Born in Saint John, his formative years spent in Fredericton, Stephen Scott began art studies at the Ontario College of Art for one year before returning to New Brunswick to complete his training at Mount Allison University. He graduated with a fine arts degree in 1978. Subsequently, he obtained a Master of Arts in Arts Therapy from Concordia University, Montréal, Québec in 1998. Scott paints full time and resides in a rural setting near Fredericton.