'We are going to really miss him'
Artist and Somba K'e dancing drummer sculptor Francois "T-Bo" Thibault remembered
Cody Punter
Northern News Services
Published Wednesday, April 16, 2014
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
After being told by doctors a little more than a month ago that he didn't have long left to live, renowned Yellowknife artist Francois "T-Bo" Thibault took to Facebook to make an announcement about his health.
Francois "T-Bo" Thibault stands by some of the pieces in his shop in the summer of 2003. Thibault died on April 11 after a short battle with brain cancer. - NNSL file photo |
"The truth is that, yes, I was diagnosed with advanced brain cancer about a month ago, and yes, I will be leaving this good green Earth shortly," wrote Thibault on March 28.
It wasn't the first time that he had confronted death, having been involved in a devastating car accident in Norman Wells in 1982. That is why, Thibault explained, he was choosing to welcome his impending fate as an opportunity rather than a curse.
"I am rather excited about the whole thing," he stated.
"I know I'm being offered a full-time job as one of the official cloud carving artists to create our beautiful dancing Northern lights."
While Thibault's words will provide a certain amount of solace to those who were close to him, the news of his death on April 11 as a result of his cancer will come as no less of a blow to the community.
Jean De Dieu Tuyishime, executive director of the Federation Franco-Tenoise, described Thibault as a proud French-Canadian who cared deeply about promoting not just his own work, but that of all artists.
"He was very involved in the community. He was always looking at how he could promote the arts and culture," Tuyishime said.
"We are going to really miss him."
"He was such a lighthearted person. He would always make you laugh," said Batiste Foisy, a director with the Yellowknife Artist Run Community Centre, who would often drop by Thibault's shop to chat with him about the arts.
Originally from Ottawa, Thibault moved up to Yellowknife where he spent some time working at Con Mine in the 1980s. After his car accident in 1982 left him unable to work, Thibault took up carving.
It turned out to be a fortuitous turn of events as the territorial government asked him to produce 430 pieces of jewelry and carvings for the territory's pavilion at the World Expo in Montreal in 1986 based on the strength of a few samples he had made.
"I found out later that was the biggest contract they gave to anyone, I think, as a single artist. So I figured I'm going to stick to this," Thibault told Yellowknifer in a 2002 interview.
Thibault also ended up designing the bear which adorns the flag flown by NWT francophones through an equally strange turn of events.
According to Foisy, Thibault was asked to come up with a design for the flag and sketched the bear quickly on a piece of paper. Unbeknownst to him, the sketch ended up being incorporated into the flag before he could refine it.
"Every time he talked about it, he was always a bit disappointed that he couldn't have made a proper drawing," said Foisy.
"The funny thing is that it is a beautiful flag."
Thibault would go on to show his work around the world and would eventually open his own workshop and store - T-Bo's Originals.
Although it changed locations over the years, it remained open right up until last month when he closed it for good due to his health.
Of all the things Thibault accomplished, Yellowknifers will best remember him for designing the sculpture of three stylized steel drummers standing at the bottom of Somba K'e Civic Plaza in front of City Hall.
Entitled United in Celebration, Foisy said the sculpture is representative of Thibault's passion for community art.
Indeed, Thibault had considered setting up a public trust that could be used to fund pieces of public art, which would be funded by selling plaques all along the water at Somba K'e.
The idea arose as a way of raising money for public art when Thibault claimed the city owed him money for the sculpture. Mayor Mark Heyck said all outstanding payments to Thibault were settled last year when the city agreed to buy the sculpture from him outright.
However, plans to have a trust for public arts were never finalized.
Tuyishime said Thibault approached the Federation Franco-Tenoise with plans to try and set up a trust a few weeks ago, but died before he was able to follow up.
Neither Heyck or Tuyishime ruled out the idea of setting up a public trust in the future, although both said there were currently no firm plans to do so.
"We should remember that the person who put this great thing there had this vision," said Foisy.
In the meantime, Yellowknifers can always stroll down to Somba K'e where his memory will forever be immortalized by the delicate steel figures dancing hand in hand on the shore of Frame Lake.
And if one makes it down there on afternoon when the clouds are out or at night when the northern lights are shining bright, they might just be lucky enough to see Thibault working away under the midnight sun.
"Be (e)specially grateful for the little clouds as these will make you smile if you take the time to really look at them," he wrote in his farewell on Facebook.
"Who knows - you might be looking at my latest piece of work."
