- The Governor General of Canada
The contents of this Register are intended for research purposes only. The heraldic emblems found in the Register may not be reproduced in any form or in any media without the written consent of the Canadian Heraldic Authority and/or the recipient.
Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design
Vancouver, British Columbia
Grant of Arms, Supporters, Flag and a Badge
April 20, 2007
Vol. V, p. 137
Click on each image to enlarge. The blazon and symbolism for each element will accompany the enlarged image.
Blazon
Arms
Azure six piles reversed throughout Argent, three in bend meeting in point, three in bend sinister meeting in point, all counterchanged;
Supporters
Two crows Azure standing on a rock Argent above barry wavy Argent and Azure;
Crest
Issuant from flames a Coast Salish spindle whorl charged with a raven all Argent embellished Azure;
Motto
EYE MIND AND HAND;
Flag
A banner of the Arms;
Badge
A Javanese monkey sejant affronty Azure holding a billet Argent;
Symbolism
Arms
The colours are those associated with the Institute and its setting. The pattern on the shield is a geometric allusion to perspective, both in its literal sense, as interpreted by artists over many centuries, or in the much wider sense of the different points of view each artist brings to his or her own work. As well, it symbolizes how the various forms of art challenge us to see things in new ways.
Supporters
The crow is the smaller cousin of the raven, but unlike the raven is at home in urban areas. Here the crows represent the Institute’s urban setting on Granville Island next to the waters of False Creek. As well, they are noted for their intelligence, and thus symbolize the intellectual quotient in all aesthetic endeavours.
Crest
The Coast Salish raven styled by Susan Point represents, as it does in many West Coast First Nations cultures, transformation and cleverness. In this instance, it represents Emily Carr’s interest in the First Peoples as well as the idea that the artist transforms materials to give them new shape and meaning and that art can transform the way the viewer perceives the world. The flames symbolize the idea that the Institute’s professors liberate what burns in each student and what sets them on fire.
Motto
These words signify the linking together of the perception and visualization of the world through the eyes, the operation of the artist’s mind in the creative process, and the use of hands to bring an idea to life.
Flag
The symbolism of this emblem is found in other element(s) of this record.
Badge
The monkey is a reference to Emily Carr’s pet, Woo, and therefore to the Institute’s namesake. The rectangle represents a piece of paper, a computer screen and hence multi-media as well as a mirror, referring to the idea that artists hold a mirror up to the world.
Background
Canada Gazette Information
The announcement of the Letters Patent was made on October 6, 2007, in Volume 141, page 2826 of the Canada Gazette.
Artist Information
Creator(s)
Original concept of Robert D. Watt, Chief Herald of Canada, assisted by the heralds of the Canadian Heraldic Authority.
Painter
David Farrar
Calligrapher
Shirley Mangione
Recipient Information
Civil Institution
One or more entries related to this Recipient's emblems appear elsewhere in the Register: Volume V, p. 332.