creative forces

Blog 2 October 2011
Meet Camille Winchester, artist and teacher extraordinaire - a person who has re-invented herself many times so far and may need to do it again before the game is over.

Born in Trinidad, she was a flight attendant before coming to Canada in 1987. Settling first in Toronto, she supported herself with jobs in the financial sector while studying at The Ontario College of Art and Design. Vancouver was next for a couple of years, spent working and doing art. Returning to Toronto, she bought a kiln and ran a studio on Dundas West for several years teaching ceramics to both children and adults as well as creating and selling her own work.  An involvement with The Creative Force (a project that took artists into treatment settings, supported by the Ontario Arts Council) introduced her to artists working in communities with women, work she began and continues to enjoy in several locations in the city. Although her specialty at OCAD was ceramics, work in fabric art was available, so she's turning her hands and her creativity in that direction for the time being.

The women using the centres are on fixed incomes; some are immigrants, some were born here, many have worked but are without pensions, some live in shelters, others are homeless... in other words, the lower end of the 99% that Occupy Toronto speaks for.

Although the work that Camille does with the women involves fabric, the relationships she creates with them are far deeper and more significant than the sewing that goes on.  Being marginalized for many years, sometimes a lifetime, has left these women without many of the skills we gain as we go along and tend to take for granted. They’ve been too busy surviving to explore art and the world around them. Many of them lack self-confidence, their attention span may be short, often their eyesight is poor, their fingers arthritic. Camille told me about one woman who had lost several fingers to frostbite.  Despite these handicaps and limitations, they come and they create, often having no experience making choices because of the highly controlled environment they live in.  They hesitate to choose colours or shapes and have huge difficulties with the fear of failure…something all too familiar in many of their lives.

This morning, I heard from Camille that one of the women had approached her on behalf of the others to say they were offended by the use of the word poverty in the announcement of their annual art show and sale.  She said it’s not the poverty that they mind it’s the loneliness and isolation…they feel as if they’ll go crazy by themselves day after day, that’s why they come to the programs.  Camille felt that part of what they were saying was that they didn’t want to sound pathetic when “in reality they are a colourful, vibrant, boisterous, sometimes rambunctious group of proud women who don’t see themselves as victims or creatures needing pity.”

 

There’s been lots of focus lately on what constitutes happiness - conclusions are that it’s feeling connected to other people.  These women are no different in this respect and the most important part of coming together in the art groups may be combating some of the loneliness.  Sure the chances to improve communication, build skills and self-confidence and discover talents all have a huge impact, but the women’s voices speak to the power of providing a gathering place for people who are isolated. 

This blog is a shout out to Camille and all the artists doing this work, and to the women whose creativity isn’t limited to what they do with a needle and thread or paint and paper but pervades each moment of their lives.

Again, thanks to John Bilodeau...
Next post will appear in November, topic will be a surprise.