…printmaker and community builder…

Through her dual legacy of printmaking excellence and educational philanthropy, Barbara Harvey Leighton (CPE, ASA; 1909–1986) remains an influential figure in Alberta's cultural landscape.

Early Life and Partnership

In 1930, Barbara Harvey enrolled in night classes at the Provincial Institute of Technology & Art (PITA)—later the Alberta College of Art & Design, now Alberta University of of the Arts—where she distinguished herself as a top student. It was there she met A.C. Leighton (1900–65), then heading the Art Department at the Technical Institute. The two married in 1931 and spent their honeymoon traveling through Kananaskis Country, creating artwork together—a journey that marked the beginning of a thirty-five-year creative partnership. Until A.C.'s passing in 1965, Barbara largely devoted her life to supporting her husband's work, though she maintained her own artistic practice throughout the marriage.

Printmaking and Training

Around 1940, Barbara began producing block prints (lino and wood) to generate additional income, often adapting A.C.'s sought-after mountain landscapes into woodblock prints. Although A.C. was not a printmaker himself, he generously shared his knowledge of relief printing with Barbara, who embraced the technique, mastered it, and developed it into a recognized specialty of her own. Her works achieved considerable commercial success through department stores such as Eaton's and were frequently chosen as gifts for dignitaries and public figures. She was a member of the Alberta Society of Artists (ASA).  In 1942, Barbara was elected a Full Member of the Canadian Society of Painter-Etchers and Engravers; that same year, the New York Central Reference Library acquired one of her Lake Louise prints. The couple exhibited together at the Laguna Gallery in California in 1948, showcasing Barbara's prints alongside A.C.'s watercolours. Her prints bore the signature "Barleigh"—a thoughtful portmanteau of her first and last names, connecting her work to Leighton's originals while establishing her own distinct identity. Following A.C.'s death, Barbara returned to formal study at the Alberta College of Art and Design, earning a diploma in fiber and metal crafts in 1965.

Accomplishments and Legacy

Barbara Leighton's lasting contribution to Western Canadian art extends far beyond her own artistic practice into meaningful institutional support and education. In 1970, she opened the doors of her home in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, welcoming visitors into a gallery dedicated to honoring A.C.'s work. With gracious support from her husband's foundation, she purchased a former schoolhouse and transformed it into a vibrant creative studio space. The Leighton Art Centre came to life in 1974, bringing together gallery and studio facilities to nurture artists and learners of all ages. The Centre offered instruction in a rich variety of disciplines—including silversmithing, stained glass, arts and crafts, weaving, copper enamelling, and ceramics—it continues to do so and is a heartfelt tribute to Barbara's enduring dedication to facilitating artistic creation across communities.  Her remarkable lifetime achievements were fittingly recognized in 1984 with the Alberta Achievement Award for outstanding contributions to the arts.

Bibliography:

Alberta Foundation for the Arts.

Digital Museums Canada: https://www.communitystories.ca/v2/the-leighton-legacy_heritage-de-leighton/story/barbara-leighton-the-printmaker/

Laviolette, Mary-Beth.  An Alberta Art Chronicle, Adventures in Recent & Contemporary Art.  Victoria: Touchwood Editions, 2006.

Leighton Art Centre: https://leightoncentre.org/about/history/

________. Barbara Leighton. Alberta Museums Review, Volume 31, Issue 1, Fall 2005: p.20-1.

Townshend, Nancy. A History of Art in Alberta 1905-1970. Bayeux Arts Publishing, Calgary, AB, 2005.

Zimon, E. Kathy. Alberta Society of Artists, The First Seventy Years. University of Calgary Press, 2000.