Sussex’s First Skating Rink

18.3 x 6.7 mtr (60 x 22 ft) First design as submitted by artist. In 1877 Sussex’s first skating rink was built. This beautiful large, round building had a pyramid roof surmounted by a cupola. The Sussex Cornet Band supplied music for the skaters. The building was also used as a forum, where politicians gave election speeches, and as a place for entertaining special guests who might come to Sussex. It was also in this rink that crowds of people turned out to watch the competition in walking races. The building went out of use in 1885, when the roof collapsed from the heavy weight of snow. The mural shows the reception that was held in the rink for the Marquis of Lorne, Governor-General of Canada, when he visited Camp Sussex on Dominion Day in 1881, though Rudolf has taken the liberty of transporting the occasion to the winter. The outer shell of the rink building melts away in his design to afford a view of the arena and the rink itself. He used the light streaming through the cupola and ceiling windows to focus attention on the main figures and to create a warm and colourful environment contrasting sharply with the snow-covered surrounding streets. The exterior is composed of some period buildings, which can still be found on Church Avenue. The artist: Born in Zurich, Switzerland, raised there and in the US, Rudolf Stussi, came to Canada in 1967 to attend Ottawa’s Carleton University and later the Ontario College of Art, including two years in Florence, graduating in 1978. Further art studies in Mexico and London, UK followed. He is an artist with a long experience of mural painting – here and in Europe – as well as a continuing career as an exhibiting artist on both continents. His work also includes animation and illustration. http://www.rudolfstussi.com/