creative forces

 Blog # 184...November, 2026

There's lots to be edgy about, seems to be business as usual.  and I have something economic to say before moving on to some of the positive, creative elements that comfort and refresh our lives.

While Zuckerberg, Bezos and Musk                                                                    Make money from dawn until dusk,                                                                            The world's hunger and pain,                                                                                         The droughts and the rain,                                                                                      Are as sharp as an elephant's tusk.                                                                                                                

  The Ontario College of Art and Design is beginning year of  celebrating 150- years of gifting us with artist. Many of its graduates have gone on  successful careers in the arts in Canada and internationally. The work of designers is less obvious, but in fact affects us more directly. It's in the convenience of an office layout, or the ease, or not, of filling in a form or reading a label.  And the creations of artist in all their work is to bring a fresh and joyful breeze to our troubled waters.\Even when the subjects are harsh and painful,  their presentation can help us understand and develop some comfort sharing part of life.                                                                                                           

Toronto has a new and wonderful landmark in the expanding waterfront. Kent Monkman brings his Cree artistry and whimsy to The Colony, a rollicking gang of beavers collected in and around their open condo. Set against the skyline of tall buildings, many of them also condos the installation references the role beavers played in the natural and indigenous history of Turtle Island. It's important nd interesting to know how involved  beavers were to colonization and the fur trade, but the piece can  can be enjoyed purely visually. There's a good view here https://www.youtube.com/shorts/fX6sjRIEoR, but better yet, go and see it in person if you're near enough.

The Toronto world of dance is welcoming  Jennifer Archibald back to her home town for a a program of her work at the Betty OliphantTtheatre...it finishes November 1st so the news is a bit late but it's interesting to meet Jennifer for future reference. Her career as a choreographer began as a student at Etobicoke School of the Arts and continued on to stages in New York and many other US cities. Blending contemporary dance with classical ballet creates a refreshing new way to tell stories through movement.  It may offend some purists in the dance world but I find new ways of presenting a form interesting and  so I'm curious to watch for her work.  

Ever since Dale Carnegie kick started the  craze with How to Win Friends and Influence People, self help books have been heavy on book stores shelves. Although I think most of them are a magazine article expanded into a money make, I appreciate that many people find them comforting, maybe  even helpful. I know that sometimes a particular phrase or sentence can cause a burst of understanding and being understood...an epiphany maybe.   Peer support groups, AA was one of the first, are there too to help people navigate their feelings and their world. Some of them, like The Secret Handshake use art forms to bring people together, Death Cafes promote conversations about difficult subjects. What a lot of ammunition we need to survive in this challenging world!

 I've discovered the pleasure of the second time around. I recently saw Anne Tait's brilliant film Iron Road again...the first time was right after its release about 10 years ago. The story of the workers being recruited in China in the 1880's's and brought here to build the railway to the west coast of Canada is compelling, made even more so at the screening by the presence in the audience of some descendants of the original workers. And my attention was caught by details of the production and the characters  that I may have missed in the first viewing..

Sometimes mention a word or phrase in another language that catch my attention and I like to pass it on. I came across, attache ta tuque, while listening to people talk before the election in Quebec this month. Another French expression I like is, un chat dans la gorge,  which we call a frog in the throat...both expressions are weird. 

Happy Halloween see you as we're thinking about the holidays...and how long it is until Spring.