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Item Name: Print
Title: When I Grow Up
Maker: Patrick Hurst
Year: 1980
Country: Canadian
Materials: lithograph
Measurements: in frame: 55 cm x 63.5 cm; work: 38 cm x 47 cm
ID Number: ART 160
Legal Status: ART RENTAL


Extended Label Info: The broad-brimmed hats and striking red jackets featured in this artist-made lithographic print by Patrick Hurst are part of the classic “Red Serge” uniform of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. In the image, a young person appears intent, holding a jacket as they look towards a senior man who is dressed in full uniform. The title of this artwork, “When I Grow Up” signals a question asked of many children in Canada: “What do you want to be when you grow up?” and suggests that the subject matter in this artwork is more of a metaphorical exploration than a portrait. In many of his artworks, Patrick Hurst explores themes of personal identity and the socially constructed roles of hero and anti-hero. Here, the young person holding the uniform jacket may be contemplating the serious responsibilities of their role, and the part they will play in Canada’s history. In recent years, this image has become more poignant, as Canada comes to understand its colonial history through sharing stories of truth and acts of reconciliation. For both Canadians and Indigenous peoples of Turtle Island, the red RCMP uniform is highly symbolic, weighted with stories from many different perspectives. The RCMP are a federal police force that grew out of the North-West Mounted Police (NWMP). The NWMP were created in an act of Parliament passed on May 23,1873 with a mission to represent the Canadian Government and laws in the lands that Canada termed the North-West Territories, lands that were the traditional home to many Indigenous Peoples. Treaty 4 for example, which covers the lands where the city of Regina is sited, was signed in 1874, a year after the NWMP were formed and deployed. Patrick Hurst was born in Vulcan, Alberta in 1947. During his extensive academic career, Hurst received a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Calgary (1968), as well as a Bachelor of Architecture from the University of British Columbia (1971) in Vancouver. He earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts with distinction from the University of Calgary in 1974. Additionally, he earned his Master of Arts from the University of Saskatchewan (1977-1979). His artwork lives in several public collections, including Alberta Art Foundation (Edmonton), University of Calgary, University of Saskatchewan (Saskatoon), Memorial University (St. John’s, N.L.), Art Bank (Ottawa), and Glenhyrst Art Gallery of Brant (Brantford, Ontario).