Re: "Joni bewildered by plan....."

[Les Irvin]

This expanded article appeared in the Regina Leader-Post today as well:
------------------------
Mitchell bewildered by effort to honour her with statue
by Darren Bernhardt
Regina Leader-Post November 26, 2002

SASKATOON -- Joni Mitchell had yet to eat breakfast and shake the sleep from her head but her humour and humility were thoroughly intact about the idea of a statue honouring her in downtown Saskatoon.

"I guess it would be a good place for birds to perch," she remarked.

Mitchell was in Saskatoon for the weekend, spending time with her mother, Myrtle Anderson, before jetting back to Los Angeles on Monday.

When asked about the idea, which went to council as correspondence last week, Mitchell teetered between being grateful and bewildered.

"It's just such a strange question to be woken up to," she said. "It would be a true honour, it really would. But is this not something usually done post-mortem?

"If I am alive to see it happen, I would hope it could be a decent likeness. I get all sorts of artwork done by fans and it can get pretty distorted in the proportions. ... My face caricaturizes easily. I can tell from my fan drawings."

The idea of a statue of the multi-talented artist -- painter, poet, singer, songwriter and producer -- was actually raised by a British Columbia man. Mark Salzl wrote to Saskatoon's city council about the possibility of commissioning the statue.
A fan of Mitchell's for many years. Salzl thought it only fitting the city recognize and celebrate her achievements as others already have.

She has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, is listed No. 5 on VH1's list of "The 100 Greatest Women of Rock and Roll" and was given the Order of Canada earlier this year, the nation's highest honour for lifetime achievement.
"She is surely one of the most famous daughters of the city. The city is even the subject of some of her songs," Salzl wrote.
It is also the subject of her artwork. The Delta Bessborough appears in the background of her 1969 album cover for Clouds. Mitchell is in the foreground holding a prairie lily (the province's official flower) as the South Saskatchewan River reflects a stunning crimson sunset.

"She's got stacks of trophies and awards," said Anderson. "But it's always nice to be recognized by your hometown."
Mitchell admits her love affair with Saskatoon continues -- from visiting frequently to choosing the Mendel Art Gallery in 2000 for her art show.

"I think it shows how much I'm in love with this town and think about it even when I'm not here," she said.
Salzl believes the city should indicate the feeling is mutual.

"It's worldly for a small Prairie city to have a statue of Gandhi but it has overlooked its own. I think it is incumbent upon City Hall to include the honouring of these famous and influential people in their yearly business," he said.

The city does not have a program for commissioning artwork. Sculptures are donated through a sponsorship group. The Gandhi bust was donated by the Government of India by way of the India Consulate in Vancouver and a local India cultural group. The Denny Carr statue was made possible through fundraising efforts by his friends and family.

"What we suggested to him (Salzl) is to find private sponsorship," said John Penner, the city's urban design coordinator.
Salzl is determined to take up the effort another way, even without the city's assistance.

"If all else fails, I was thinking of getting an existing group to take up the charge. If that wasn't possible, I'll try to start some sort of group to get this done," he said.

From Paradise Hill, 75 kilometres northeast of Lloydminster, Salzl was educated at SIAST in Saskatoon.

"Saskatoon is my 'home' city and I would like to return there to work or retire," he said.

Admitting to feeling a little uncomfortable with the idea of her image being set upon a pedestal, a statue gives a sense of being monumental, something contrary to her nature.

"I really liked playing in small clubs where the platform wasn't very high so you could step down and fraternize," Mitchell said. "And I feel that way when I come home to Saskatoon since the art show. There's a greater comfortability because I think people think of me more as a local and less exotic. ..."

Mitchell suggested "something more functional" like a bench. One end could be her seated figure "with room to sit beside it."
"If the statue is about me, it's about the essence of music and poetry coming from this town -- and painting. But rather than strap a guitar on there or have a handful of paintbrushes, maybe there's another way to make it more contemplative," she said. "Somewhere people could sit and muse.

"And then I could come and sit there and when someone asks how I feel about it I can honestly say, 'I'm beside myself'."