Joan Melvin RANKIN

JOAN MELVIN RANKIN (nee Dowswell) September 19, 1927 - March 4, 2014
Left to celebrate her 87 year life, is son, Michael (Shelley) Rankin of Regina, SK and grandson, Jacob; daughter, Susan Rankin (Brad Copping) of Apsley, ON; sister, Lorna (Ed) Hopkin of Calgary AB; sister-in-law, Andrea Rankin; and brother-in-law, Oakley Rankin (Shae) of Saltspring Island and Hornby Island, BC. Joan was predeceased by her husband, Jack in 1959. She will be remembered as a prominent artist, mother, sister, friend, and teacher, from Moose Jaw, SK. Joan moved to Moose Jaw in 1960 to assume the position of Supervisor of Art for the Moose Jaw Public School Board, a position she held for 22 years before the position was phased out. She remained an art teacher until her retirement in 1988. Joan's long list of accomplishments include serving on the board to set up and guide the development of the Moose Jaw Art Museum and National Exhibition Centre as a centennial project. She served on the Board of Directors for the art museum through the 1960's and 1970's. Joan attended the Emma Lake Artists' Workshops from 1962 - 1967 and received her Master in Arts Education in 1969. She served as President of the SSEA and was one of the founding directors for the Saskatchewan Centre of the Arts and sat on the board of the Saskatchewan Summer School of the Arts. Throughout her artistic career, Joan worked through painting, print making, photography, textiles, clay, collage, drawing, and stained glass. After her retirement from teaching in 1988, Joan began making teddy bears - developing complex characters and designing them into elaborate scenes. Her bears received national and international acknowledgement and were published in numerous books and magazines. In her later years, Joan returned to making art with paint and continued to explore her persistent image and received an Honourable mention in the 2012 Zoomer Art Exhibition in Toronto. Throughout her career, Joan had her work shown in 20 group exhibitions and 11 one-woman shows. A memorial will be held at a later date in Moose Jaw, SK. To leave an online message of condolence, please visit www.speersfuneralchapel.com