Quentin Randall nationally recognized historic site.
Moreover, the Medalta complex is now gaining international distinction, thanks to its popular artists-in-residence program. For those in the pottery and ceramic field, Medicine Hat is quickly becoming the premier place in the world to go for residency.
“It’s really blossomed and I’ve been fortunate to see all that happen,” Randall says.
31
Some people go through their whole lives without experiencing something truly historic.
Yet Quentin Randall, the 31-year-old marketing director at Medalta Potteries, spends nearly every day of his life reliving one of Medicine Hat’s most significant portions of history.
After growing up in Moose Jaw, Randall completed a bachelor of arts in English at the University of Saskatchewan and then married his college sweetheart. The couple spent six months in Scotland together, before returning to Saskatoon where Randall took a job he simply didn’t like.
His wife was willing to give up her teaching job so they could move to Medicine Hat where Randall could attend the college and complete a diploma in 2007.
“My goal when I came here for school was to do as good as I possibly could, so I did quite well in college and liked it a lot,” says Randall.
“I ended up visiting this place called Medalta that was just starting to build momentum but nobody really even knew about it at the time.”
Randall didn’t know much about ceramic art or pottery at the time but was exceptionally intrigued because the site reminded him of a national historic brick plant close to where he grew up in Saskatchewan.
As it turned out, Medalta was in the hunt for a marketing director and in 2008 Randall took over the position.
“When I started at Medalta there wasn’t much going on yet,” Randall says. “You basically walked in there and there was pottery on display and that was it. It was pretty cool, though, and had tons of potential.”
Sometimes timing is everything and for Randall, he couldn’t have joined the Medalta team at a better time. In four short years, Randall has played a part in seeing the old plant transformed into not only a beautifully designed museum but also designation as a
Truth be told, though, Randall deserves more credit for the gained success than he is interested in accepting. As marketing director, Randall is in charge of promoting the extensive work being done on site, from the museum transformation to individual artists in residence.
“There was something more to this place than just being a pottery museum and we had to figure out what that was,” he says. “But what we started noticing is the people coming through here all had a story to tell about a piece they had, or workers coming back to tell stories about working there; all these connections to the site just kept coming in.
“One day it just clicked: Why don’t we just start telling these stories using this entire site as a catalyst? It was the people behind this place that made it what it is and we just wanted to reflect that.”
Barely into his 30s, Randall is clearly unable to draw from his own memories of Medalta’s heyday. But his energetic youth, coupled with a strong passion for the work he does, makes him a great fit for promoting the site.
“There is definitely a different perspective there. For some of these people who were around to see it back then, this place wasn’t their history, it was their life.”
And now its preservation is a big part of his.
CONGRATULATIONS WE LOOK FORWARD TO HOSTING YOU ON MAY 24
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TO ALL OF MEDICINE HAT’S TOP 40 UNDER 40!
41073716•05/25/12
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