Alberta Aviation Museum Curator Lech Lebiedowski and Edmonton artist Sean Paul Arceta share a common fascination. They both love the 1980s movie series and pop culture icon “Back to the Future.”
Lebiedowski, who also teaches the History of Science and Technology at the University of Alberta, has spent the better part of 10 years building a perfect replica of the DeLorean Time Machine. Arceta expresses his love of everything ‘Back to the Future’ through his art. His entire collection is based on the movie, much of it centred on the Nike Mag self-lacing sneaker, created for BTTF 2.
Their common preoccupation will be on display at the Alberta Aviation Museum Saturday July 6th at the Magnum Opus Charity Art Show. It will feature Arceta’s art along side Lebiedowski’s mechanical handiwork.
“I watched it (the movie), I don’t know, hundreds of times,” Lebiedowski says of his infatuation with the Time Machine growing up in his native Poland. “I couldn’t understand a word that they were saying because it was all in English and I couldn’t speak English at the time. But I sure loved that car.”
Arceta was similarly smitten.
“It was just really cool seeing the future and seeing the past and knowing that you could alter your reality based on what you do in the moment.”
Arceta and Lebiedowski met after the DeLorean was featured in a television story when it went on display at the aviation museum last fall. Their collaboration resulted in this art show.
The event will raise money for iHuman Youth Society, which helps at-risk youth through art and music. Arceta also works as a social worker at iHuman. As part of the exhibit, young artists from iHuman will display some of their work, created using surplus airplane parts from the museum’s shops. There will also be a photo booth and BTTF costumes so guests can dress up as their favourite character.
Lebiedowski is delighted that his DeLorean can play a role in helping the community.
“It makes so many people happy. It’s unbelievable it brings only the good memories and positive feelings,” he says.
Lebiedowski is also loaning the DeLorean to the Parkinson’s Society of Alberta for some of their events. Micheal J. Fox, one of the stars of the BTTF series, suffers from Parkinson’s and has been an advocate for those with the disease.
“It’s quite extraordinary how much good and positive it can do for the community. I never in my wildest dreams could have imagined how much attention this car will get.”
Ticket sales from the show and one-quarter of the art sales will go to support iHuman. The first Magnum Opus show, earlier this year, raised $2,300 for the charity.
Arceta says he is constantly inspired by the youth who use iHuman to help them rebuild their lives.
“What is so inspiring about the young people is their ability to express creativity despite their own personal challanges. They are still making magic happen in their own lives through their art.”
The Magnum Opus Art Show is July 6, at the Museum’s event hall from 3pm-6pm. More information about the show can be found here.
For tickets go to here. For details about the event go here, or to the Magnum Opus Facebook Page here.