In 1971, local and beloved Trail artist Velenka Fanderlik, wife of art teacher Velen Fanderlik, was invited to officially submit her Halloween-themed paintings to the Canadian UNICEF Committee for consideration in worldwide fundraising literature.
“Velenka regularly donated her work to UNICEF and the Save the Children Fund, however this formal request was something special,” explains Sarah Benson-Lord, Trail Museum and Archives manager.
“Her work, described as colourful with exuberant energy and an innate sense of design, was well received by the community and Velenka regularly exhibited her work local and provincially.”
The Fanderliks were much-loved members of the Trail community to all generations of residents.
Both from then-Czechoslovakia, the Fanderliks arrived in Trail in 1955.
At the time of her death in 1980, Velenka donated 10 paintings to UNICEF, all Halloween-themed, in an effort to enhance their work for children all over the world.
Lining the walls of council chambers at Trail city hall are Velen’s extraordinary paintings which capture emblematic scenes of the city in strokes of water colour.
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To see all Trail Blazers features, click the “Local History” tag at the bottom of the stories.
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