John Barney Weaver was born on March 28, 1920, in
Anaconda, Montana. He trained under his father, John Bruce "Pop" Weaver, a painter and sculptor. He has a son named Henry, and a daughter named Sara.[3]
Career
Weaver graduated from the
School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 1946, where he studied with
Albin Polasek and
Emil Zettler.[4] He received a teaching position in sculpture and figure drawing at the
Layton School of Art in
Milwaukee where he taught from 1946 to 1951.[4] He was a curator for the
Montana Historical Society for five years. He worked as a Natural History Sculptor for the
Smithsonian Institution for six years. In 1966, he started working with the
Alberta Provincial Museum prior to its opening on December 6, 1967.[5] He became a Canadian citizen in 1973. Weaver died of a heart attack at the age of 92 on April 12, 2013, at his home of many years in
Silver Creek, BC. "In bronze his zest for fine art and human achievement can endure for millennia; in our hearts his strength and loving care will endure forever."[2]
Notable works
Weaver created over 2000 works in his lifetime.
Canada
The Stake, Royal Alberta Museum, Edmonton, 1967
Pronghorn Antelopes, Royal Alberta Museum, Edmonton, 1970
On March 28, 2010, Weaver's 90th birthday, the House of Representatives and Senate both stopped proceedings to give the sculptor a
standing ovation as well as singing happy birthday.[11]
^Klinkenberg, Marty. "Monumental achievements; Scores of Albertans know the work of sculptor John
Weaver, who reached his 'pinnacle' in Edmonton", Edmonton Journal, May 13, 2012.