Join us to remember and celebrate his remarkable life
June 8th, 2025 at 2pm
at Connexus Art Centre, 200 Lakeshore Drive, Regina, SK
Livestream or attend in person
please rsvp to attend in person to
Y2ljYW5za3kyMDI1IHwgZ21haWwgISBjb20=
*livestream link will be available one week prior to the event or request a link from
Y2ljYW5za3kyMDI1IHwgZ21haWwgISBjb20=
Victor Cicansky Obituary
Victor was an ordinary man who lived an extraordinary life. From his humble roots he rose to become an accomplished and celebrated artist whose work is known and loved by many.
Victor delighted in describing how he came into the world during a blizzard, how his father pulled his mother in a sled through drifts and swirling snow to the Regina General Hospital. He was born in February 1935 to Frank and Mary Cicansky and grew up in an Eastern European neighborhood in Regina's east end which was fondly referred to as "Garlic Flats". In his own words he said: "It was here where my parents and grandparents put down roots, lived and loved, and planted the family tree." Large families were common, and gardens were big. Within this environment he developed his reverence for nature and love of gardening. From a family of craftsmen, he learned the value of hard work, resourcefulness, creativity and perseverance. These qualities served him well throughout his life.
Victor often talked about how he dropped out of school to help support his parents and the growing Cicansky family. He returned to complete his senior matriculation at Regina College and went on to complete a B.Ed. (1964), B.A. (1965), MFA (1970) and was granted an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Regina where he taught for over 20 years in the Faculty of Education and the Faculty of Arts.
In 1965, while teaching in the Regina school system, he met and fell in love with his future wife Fran, and they married in 1966. After some years spent teaching, they headed south to California where Victor studied at the University of California, Davis Campus, while Fran continued her studies in music. The "California years" were an important formative time in his development as an artist and Victor spoke of how it was the right place at the right time to study the arts with its reputation as a lively center for new ideas. He emerged with a greater understanding of his own roots in Saskatchewan and how he wanted to express his experience as a prairie artist.
In 1970 the couple returned to Regina, and shortly after they welcomed their first child, Mea. They began searching for a country home and discovered an abandoned schoolhouse in Craven and declared it a well-crafted building to be renovated into a house and art studio. They purchased the schoolhouse and property, and it was here they put down roots, and welcomed their son, Ryan in 1975. Many happy years were spent in their Craven home, living life, planting a large garden Victor called "a living canvas", and creating art using the garden as "muse".
Tragedy struck in 1987 when his wife Fran unexpectedly passed away, and he took refuge in his garden and art during this difficult time. Soon after, Vic sold the Craven home and headed back to Regina where he found a house with a generous space for a garden and room to build a studio where he could continue to create art. He carried on with his professorship at the University of Regina and mentored many interested students. He often held workshops for the public about growing a garden and composting, which he described as working with nature.
His celebrated sculptures in clay and bronze are a testament to his love of the land, gardening and of the natural world, expressed with his well-known sense of humor. His works have been exhibited globally and are part of many public and private collections.
Victor was a humble man who spoke of his accomplishments with a sense of delight and wonder. The honors and awards he received over his lifetime were many that included The Saskatchewan Order of Merit, The Lieutenant Governor's Lifetime Achievement Award, The Order of Canada and the Queen's Platinum Jubilee Medal.
His last project is his legacy to the community. The Cicansky Gazebo located at the Grow Regina Community Garden was a labor of love that was ten years in the making, and in the years to come, will be enjoyed by generations of Regina residents as a place to gather, visit and enjoy the beauty of the surrounding gardens. He wrote in the closing chapter of his book, Up From Garlic Flats, "By planting a garden, you are working with nature and not against it and you are changing, for the better, one small part of the garden earth environment. Your grandkids will love you for it!"
Victor is predeceased by his parents Frank and Mary, his wife Fran and his siblings, Josephine, Margaret, Frederick, and David.
He is survived by his children Mea (Doug), Ryan (Rebecca), his grandchildren Joshua, Aidan, Landon and Leia as well as his siblings Rose, John (Liz), William (Illona), Peter (Ina), Mary Ann (Rod) as well as many nieces and nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews, and a large group of treasured friends.
We gratefully acknowledge Victor's caregivers with a special thank you to his home caregiver, Verna, and to the team at Riverbend Crossing where Victor lived for the last two years of his life. We appreciate you.
The family suggests that remembrances of Victor be made to a charity of your choice.
You may also like the following events from Slate Fine Art Gallery:
Also check out other
Arts events in Regina,
Nonprofit events in Regina,
Virtual events in Regina.
