Blog # 101…January 2020

Happy New Year!  This year has been grim so far and it’s increasingly difficult, but increasingly important, to focus on art matters so here goes - may make me feel a bit better, maybe you too.

I spotted a book called Carpe Fin recently and was reminded of a trip I made to Haida Gwaii, off the northwest coast of British Columbia, a few years ago. The title was the first of many sly references and double entendres that were scattered throughout... carpe fin literally means fine carp, but the allusion to Carpe Diem suggests Seize the End.  As I read the story I encountered other possibilities (made me wonder if there'd been hidden meaning in Archie and Superman that I devoured as a ten year old).

Carpe Fin is described as a Haida Manga, and artist/story teller Michael Nicoll Yahgulanas uses hand painted images to blend Asian manga with Haida artistic and oral traditions. Carpe, of the title (short for carpenter, get it?) arrives on a small remote island deep in the rain forest to find a failing economy. A fuel spill has destroyed food sources and a group of residents invite him to join them on a risky trip to a distant island to hunt sea lions.

Ferocious storms batter the small boat, Carpe is lost at sea and picked up by the sea lion known as Lord of the Rock who demands retribution for his role in the hunt. Some business with a fin (more allusions) and Carpe is abandoned to the sea, clothed as a sea lion, in the half life between human and animal, life and death.  The islanders arrive on a rescue mission, find Carpe  and the story ends with some hopeful ideas to change the world.  I've oversimplified this complex story as an encouragment for you to read it.                                                                     
                                                                                                                   

Haida images have a whimsical edge and seem to lend themselves to playfulness - think of Brian Jungen‘s transformation of Nikes and golf bags. And aboriginal artists have a wonderful way of making serious points with humour…Kent Monkman’s Daddies of Confederation, the plays of Drew Hayden Taylor and stories of Thomas King, to mention only a few. We need this kind of fresh and nuanced way of looking at things now more than ever.

 Louis Riel said "My people will sleep for one hundred years, but when they awake, it will be the artists who give them their spirits back." First nations artists have taken Truth and Reconciliation and run with it, quickly and positively while official committees and task forces meander along.

I’m always encouraged when I hear from people who read the blog and was almost seduced by a message that came a couple of days ago complimenting me on # 100. Had I clicked on the included link, I would have connected to a site selling drugs online… so, a reminder to NEVER click on a site without checking on Google what it is. 

Blog # 100…December, 2019

Michael Apted’s brilliant Up series documenting the lives of a group of British children began in 1964 with Seven Up.  Although originally conceived as a “one of” episode, it evolved into a journey that followed the children every seven years as they grew up and Britain - and the world - changed.  Fifty five years later, Sixty- three Up will appear later this month, watch for it on TV, or if you’re nearby, at the Bloor. It’ll likely be the last; Michael Apted’s health is failing and, as one of the Up’ers said, they wouldn’t trust anyone else to tell their stories.

Since this is Blog # 100, I’ve been thinking back to September 2011 and # 1 (which I also thought of as a “one of”).  It featured a small group of musicians/students, calling themselves Impromp2 Crew, who arrived on Friday mornings at the Toronto Grace Health Centre to delight patients, staff and visitors.

Of all the art forms that stimulate and nourish our spirits, music has always struck me as the most universal and accessible, cutting across language, age and abilities. We begin our connection to music (often even before we’re born) with our mother’s lullabies and learn to speak, count and dance to tunes handed down through the ages. We’re soothed by soft violins, energized to get at that housework by Dixieland and our feet start tapping at the sound of a marching band. We remember making out or breaking up when we hear a snatch of a tune, even if it was in another century. Music reminds us that we are all connected, musicians are celebrated across borders, enemies can find common ground. It can quiet the soul, foment dissent or even revolution. 

I remember the Impromp2Crew fondly; they were students at the time, headed towards careers in fields where experience with a variety of people would serve them well.  So, not only were they delighting their audiences, they were gaining valuable life lessons for themselves.

I was inspired by the Up series to reach out to the members of Impromp2Crew and was thrilled to have replies from far and near with fond memories of their time at the Grace nearly a decade ago - how it had enriched their personal lives and contributed to their professional development. They remembered how the patients responded to the music despite difficulties communicating, and the impact music had on everyone involved, making visitors more comfortable.  One of the Crew who is now a physician, liked seeing the unique contributions of allied health professionals. Another, who was going through a difficult job search, remembers the encouragement he felt while playing at the Grace. Music has been introduced to a hospital in Australia and to a critical care setting in Toronto based on the experiences of Impromp2Crew.

So, in these days when we’re bombarded by bad news (and Frosty the Snowman) take a break and curl up with your favourite, whether it’s Dvorak or Dizzy, Leonard or Lamar, feel what good there is in the world and have yourself a very Happy Holiday.  We’ll be back with #101 in 2020.

Blog # 99…November, 2019

Canada’s welcome of 30,000 refugees from Syria a couple of years ago was a humanitarian initiative that had broad reaching and unpredictable effects.  I’m sure many of the individuals and families still struggle to adapt, having traded a connection to their culture and compatriots for safety, security and hope for the future. But, there are also some wonderful examples of cultural blending emerging that will, I hope, ease the transition for all of us.

Food is a universal and immediate element of any culture. It wasn’t surprising that quite early on, Le Depanneur, a restaurant in west end Toronto open only for dinner, generously made space available at noon to a group of Syrian women to cook dishes for their families. Word spread quickly in the neighbourhood and locals started turning up to purchase food, leading to a flourishing catering business.  Now, we can all share in the delights of Syrian dishes and as well, employment and engagement are provided for the new arrivals. The way the local community came out recently to support Soufi’s, the Queen Street West café that closed after vicious online harassment was evidence that we’ve travelled some distance in acceptance.

Gananoque artist Houssam Alloum’s work has been transformed by his journey from the mountains in the south of Syria to his new home by the Thousand Islands in the St Lawrence River. After being forced to leave his country, Houssam worked in Istanbul as art director for a local TV station. In Turkey, not having the enthusiasm to look after himself, he grew a beard and began to realize how people judged him and his religious affiliation by his appearance. He started a self portrait with the bottom of his face covered with tinfoil, “it’s like a mirror…I wanted the viewer to focus on my eyes…and see reflections from my surroundings because our lives are not just our own but touched by people around us.”

When he arrived in Canada, Houssam was invited by painter and gallery owner Heather Haynes to share her space and he began to meet local people who came to watch him work. This led to a series of portraits called Reflections incorporating his hyperrealist style. He’s captured 85 year old Joyce McLaughlin with his signature tinfoil on her head like a crown. “Joyce’s treasure is her memories which she shares with us, helping us to see this town and everything it has to offer through her eyes”

Encouraged to submit Joyce’s portrait for the Kingston Prize, Houssam was one of 30 finalists, celebrating excellence in portrait painting and drawing. He feels that his change in style reflects his inability to express himself fully in English. “When your language doesn’t support a deep need to communicate, you use other senses to connect to people.”

My own experience as part of a support group for an Iraqi family leads me to believe that the people of Gananoque who welcomed Houssam have also changed their style a bit.

Blog # 98…October, 2019.

1886

In 1886, the Statue of Liberty, designed by Frederic Bartholdi, was presented as a gift from the people of France to the people of the United States. Without Twitter we can only guess at the bulk of controversy on both sides of the ocean, but this is from a black newspaper of the day in Cleveland “Liberty indeed! Shove the Bartholdi statue, torch and all, into the ocean until…an inoffensive and industrious colored man can earn a respectable living without being ku kluxed, perhaps murdered.”

But there was some enthusiasm amongst the public and, as well as the big donors, groups of school children and drinkers in saloons sent pennies in response to fund raisers.

It took 133 years but the gift has been reciprocated and last week Jeff Koons’ large work, dedicated to friendship between the US and France and  honouring the victims of terrorism, was placed in the gardens of the Petit-Palais. Friendship seems to have resumed after the thing about what to call fried potatoes.

2019

The outstretched hand holding eleven tulips evokes the welcoming hand of the Statue of Liberty and Koons thinks of it as a symbol of remembrance, optimism and healing. A three year saga of quarreling among French cultural figures about the location and significance of the monument included questioning Koons’ motives in creating it, regarding it as self serving.  He donated the concept but the cost of execution rested with French and American donors.  I don't know about you, but I've had gifts I didn't really want that ended up costing me money and I wasn't sure where to put them.

Many buildings and pieces of public art, especially if they're a bit unusual, have a rocky beginning before people get used to them. Toronto’s City Hall, a shockingly  innovative piece of architecture for its time, was the source of many rude comments in the early 60’s.   It now fits seamlessly into downtown and is a well-loved icon of the City. 
An assortment of Parisians have expressed their outrage at The Tulips feeling that it’s “American kitsch”. It'll be interesting to watch international response as time passes and see whether it becomes accepted, welcomed, maybe even loved.
Stay tuned.

Blog # 97…September 2019

I love it when artists take a conventional medium and use unexpected images to make a point : the Afghan war rugs with helicopters and assault weapons woven into their fabric; Shary Boyle’s delicious Royal Doulton like figures doing naughty things (I’ll leave that to your imagination) and most recently, Ai WeiWei’s traditional  vase showing refugees on the move and in camps.

Diana Weymar

Diana Weymar

Now, Diana Weymar, a BC textile artist has a show of her work at the Lingua Franca boutique in downtown Manhattan of pieces where she’s placed Donald Trump quotes against backgrounds of pretty coloured flowers and lace. Her first piece was a floral cushion from her grandmother’s house onto which she stitched “I AM A VERY STABLE GENIUS” 

Carlton Scarlett

Andrea Honore

After she publicized the project, she began receiving stacks of embroidered Trump quotes. She photographs and posts them on Instagram where she has 13,000 followers, she considers the Instagram account a gallery that she curates.  “Decorative stitching is so subversive when it’s political” she says “It’s like the silent resisters. You don’t have to have a bombastic feed on Twitter, you can just pick up a needle and have a powerful  statement.”

Amy Marcus

Rowan Arberer

And the best part is that it’s called The Tiny Prick Project…

I can’t let the chance to honour the beloved Toni Morrison pass by, particularly since she spoke of language in her Nobel Prize acceptance speech in 1993.  So we’ll go out with her words “Oppressive language does more than represent violence, it is violence…whether it is the malign language of law without ethics, or language designed for the estrangement of minorities…it must be rejected, altered and exposed.”

Blog # 96…August, 2019                                                                                                            

It's easy to get caught up in the notion that making efforts to change the world aren’t worth it: it’s hopeless, too complicated, too entrenched, controlled by powerful people, and on and on. And yet…as Margaret Mead said “Never believe that a few caring people can’t change the world, for indeed, that’s all who ever have.”

On the last Sunday of the month, Toronto’s Kensington Market is taken over by a promenade of people enjoying the sights - of shops, cafes and each other.  Upstairs in a small venue, also on the last Sunday afternoon, poet bill bissett welcomes a group of people for a reading of poetry and prose at The Secret Handshake. Although it sounds like some sort of ancient order, it’s actually a very modern outgrowth of the movement to mobilize peers in supporting people with mental illness.

Founded in 2004 by Jordan Stone, The Secret Handshake provides peer support for individuals living in the community with schizophrenia. The treatment and support of any physical or mental illness needs to be specific to that illness, making the diagnosis specific model used at TSH the most appropriate and successful. Members mentor and share recovery techniques and resources and, most importantly, build friendships based on mutual trust and respect, breaking the cycle of isolation and stigma. Creative events and activities offer involvement to people who find conventional settings difficult to approach and/or unwelcoming.

Writing workshops, Honey Novick's voice yoga and story- telling groups are offered, along with a gallery to exhibit members’ art.  Drop ins and monthly readings bring members together in a normal and positive way to express and enjoy themselves. The Friendly Voice, a monthly newsletter ably edited by Michael Alzamora publishes new findings in the field of schizophrenia as well as announcing events and profiling individuals like John Nash, the Nobel laureate in economics, whose story of living with schizophrenia was told in the film A Beautiful Mind.

Events feature artists who read their work or exhibit their artwork, no distinction is made (or necessary) about mental status…we’re all there to listen and appreciate words or relish images. It’s a great resource for people to come and have a relaxing time with their friend or family member. Finding something to enjoy together is sometimes one of the most challenging parts of living with a mental illness.

It’s a small but very important initiative, so next time you have an idea about changing something, whether it’s big or small, give it a try, take a small step, you might be surprised.

And back to Margaret Mead to finish “Always remember that you are absolutely unique. Just like everyone else. “

 Blog # 95…July, 2019

A period should end a sentence not an education…who thought we’d see the words Academy Award and menstruation together? And nobody was more surprised than Melissa Berton and Rayka Zehtabchi, producer and director of Period.  End of Sentence, winner in the short documentary category at the Oscars in January.

Getty images: Kevin Winter

“I’m not crying because I’m on my period or anything”, said 25 year old Zehtabchi in her acceptance speech, before the stage was filled with jubilant women associated with the film.

It all began with The Pad Project, started by a group of socially conscious girls at Oakwood High School in Los Angeles - part of Girls Learn international, dedicated to helping educate and lift the status of girls worldwide. Lack of access to sanitary pads causes girls in many countries to miss school during their periods, sometimes dropping out entirely.  Menstruation is a source of shame and isolation and women resort to fashioning protection from unclean rags or leaves, with the danger of infection.

The film takes place in Haipur, a town outside Delhi, where a machine to manufacture pads from natural local materials has been installed and is being operated by local women...money for the machines was raised by the girls in LA with a series of bake sales and yogathons. Menstruation faces a particularly intense stigma in parts of India, where women are not only isolated but prohibited from entering holy places for fear of contamination.

In this quiet sexual revolution, women learn to operate the machines, making low cost, biodegradable pads. They’re also trained to be part of  the sales force, giving them both financial support and a sense of independence and getting the pads to the girls and women who need them.     

As one of the girls from Oakwood pointed out though, "It's’s not just in India that we need to break the taboo on menstruation and empowering women, we’ve got work to do here too".