Canadian artist

Boxes

Was it Steve Jobs who first made us aware that we were living inside of boxes? I’m not sure. But it’s so hard to be sure of anything in this changing world, isn’t it? I guess none of us likes being defined by the boxes to which life consigns us. But hey, that’s life.

Two of the boxes that most define me nowadays are Artist & Senior.

I chose neither of these. The first box is one I was born into and shaped to fit because of the family and society that raised me. The second is the box everyone of us is forced into should they live long enough.

I was advised long ago to shed that artist box and get a real job. I really tried but over and over potential employers discovered that I was only pretending not to be an artist. As I grew older and society began to measure me for my senior box things began to get really uncomfortable.

Being an artist had been difficult enough but until I became a senior I had no idea how it felt to be a true outcast. But I’ve been a lone survivor for a very long time.

Over the past few weeks I’ve made an attempt to contact other survivors like myself, those floating about in their own boxes, trying to find a friendly shore on which to land and build something suitable and worthwhile.

I thought there was a solid shore but I guess that was merely an illusion. So these days I just float, imagining that somewhere out there are other artists, some like myself who have at most 20 or 30 more years of life, perhaps 10 more years of making art. I’m trying not to be sad over this failure. At least I tried.

Artists Centre in Chaleur

A Community Arts Centre in Chaleur may be in the works.

Chaleur Region has been waiting a very long time.

This might have happened many years ago at the old Sacred Heart Convent in Bathurst. Plans were in the works until the Bulldozers came in and POOF the building became a memory and the property a parking lot for the beautiful new City Hall.

Years later we still have no Community Arts Centre in Bathurst, the largest community in the Chaleur Region.

Ahhh but things are beginning to happen, maybe. Facts can be fuzzy at times.

There has been some recent resurgence of interest in getting a community Arts Centre started in Bathurst.

AMDHHA has been working on this idea for at least 10 years so this is nothing new. What is new is that there seems to be yet another organization in the process of forming to bring this hope to fruition. This new agency may be looking at the Maison Doucet Hennessy House as a possible location for this centre. There also has been interest expressed that LaBarque in Green Point Pointe Verte might be a good location.

Several other local and provincial organizations and businesses also appear to be somehow involved in this move to build a community arts centre in Bathurst.

Personally I think it is wonderful that there is so much happening all of a sudden. The one concern I have is that local individual artists might be left out of this picture. For that reason I have begun to raise a series of artist meet ups.

My hope is that other independent artists like myself will be encouraged and permitted to also have a say in any plans to build a community arts centre.

The first meetup planned for May 11 is canceled
It will NOT be held …

We will NOT be meeting …

Since the house has been closed up most of the winter it might still be a bit cool inside so it would be good to dress warm.

We will NOT be meeting with … for artists who want to work in the house this summer, … and see what facilities are being offered.

Although the artist meet-ups will not be taking place at Doucet-Hennessy House I still support the idea that this house could play some part in the future of the artists of Chaleur.

The official name of this organization is AMDHHA Association Doucet Hennessy House Association by the way if you want to do a search. The house is an historic property and the organization has both a website and a Facebook site.

As for the next meet-up in a month’s time , well we had planned to fix a time and date on May 11. … But that one has been canceled.

Any suggestions anyone as to a venue for meet-ups?

I did approach the local Bathurst library with a request for meeting space but that was over a week ago and they have yet to get back to me.

Meanwhile I’ll be searching out other potential free art spaces in the region. If you have any suggestions please let me know Contact maggiequinn@rogers or call 783-7944

If you know of any artists who would like to join us, please invite them along to future meet-ups.

These will be informal get togethers. For anyone who can only spare a half hour that is fine. By just showing up to show support you are helping. If you you want to stay around for an hour or two to discuss future plans and share ideas that is wonderful. No fees, no committees no voting, no hierarchy, let’s try this.

Never Forget

I am the first artist-in-residence at the Doucet-Hennessy house in Bathurst, New Brunswick. My new exhibit opens to the public on Wednesday, July 3

By the way, I strongly identify as Irish. Yes, technically I am Canadian and one might suppose that today I would be celebrating Canada Day. However, for reasons I’ll not go into at present, I prefer to celebrate the Heritage passed down to by my ancestors, the Hennessys and O’Tooles among others.

The Don’t Forget You’re Irish art exhibit opens to the public July 3. Drop by Tuesday to Saturday for a cup of tea and a chat at the historic Doucet-Hennessy House in Bathurst, New Brunswick. If you play Celtic or Acadian music or any sort of traditional folk music, we hope to have informal music sessions on Saturdays from 2-4. Bring along your acoustic instrument and join us. Music workshops are in the planning for September.

This exhibit is open to the public from July 3 – 28 in Bathurst, New Brunswick. More about the exhibit in this press release: https://surmonbabillard.com/art-exhibit-dont-forget-youre-irish-doucet-hennessy-house/”>Irish Canadian family settled on Bay of Chaleur in Canada.

Bathurst is Bathurst

Bathurst auditions are now over.

Best of wishes to all the young people who will be competing in the Battle of the Arts Competition finals taking place in Fredericton in November. More information on this competition may be found on the website http://www.battleofthearts.ca
And the FB page

Apparently auditions were held in Bathurst on August 15. If there was any local media coverage I am sorry to say I missed it.
I guess there must have been coverage since MAX 104 is a sponsor.

I think an art activity that encourages youth to stand up for their rights is of benefit to all of us.

Although I am an independent artist living in the area of Bathurst, New Brunswick, I myself am well beyond the age of youth competitions. However I have an open-to-the-public studio space at 212 St. Andrew Street in downtown Bathurst where I go to work three days a week and other artists are welcome to drop by.

An accident and the resulting surgury has curtailed my studio work over much of the last two months but I’ve tried to remain open and I expect to be walking again by December 1st.

I am a real people person, very familiar with the Bathurst business community, having written many stories and articles for a local home-owned newspaper in the past. I am also interested in womens’ poverty and unemployment issues and this is what I try to bring into my artwork.

Current artwork by Margaret Sharon Olscamp

Some of MaggieQuinn recent ongoing artwork

Although an art competition would be a rather rare occurrence in Bathurst, the spirit of competition is quite alive here. Fair weather soccer and bike rallies, cold weather hockey, and the dozens of trophies that adorn local rec-rooms attest to the fact that Bathurst people have an active sense of competition.

The more I think about this culture of competition the more I wonder why some people are watchers, some are joiners and some are neither.

One type of competition I’d love to see would be job openings that offer decent wages and are not restricted to only those who are welfare or EI recipients. I’m sure this would excite local interest and bring in plenty of joiners.

I wonder too whether there is any way that non-violence fits into this picture of a competitive community. Would people get along better? Would people have more respect for their neighbour’s property?

Each article I read on this website is an encouraging reminder that there are still people who believe in peace and write about it and try to live peaceful lives without giving up on the rest of the human race.

Today I was reminded that if non-violence is something we learn then maybe we seniors could all be teachers and help our young people learn about non-violence as a way of life.

Some question I might ask young people:
What is non-violence?
Are we born as non-violent beings?
Is non-violence something we learn?
If so, where do we learn non-violence?
How do we learn to be non-violent

What are the effects of arts, entertainment, games, sports?
Do these encourage us to be non-violent?

What about competitions?
Does the urge to fame and fortune allow us to be non-violent?
What about the need to compete in the job-market?

If we are a member of some team, is it a non-violent team that we have chosen to join?

As individuals are we confident enough to stand up for the right to be non-violent?

Job Sharin’

My idea of Job Share is as follows.

I see a great job that I’d love to have but I don’t have the qualifications or background or the hundred other attributes that employers usually demand.

October 1,  2015 and I just found what looks like a great fob for someone

Not me I tell you

Not for me

I am an artist

You will agree

Not exactly

My cup of tea

But for someone

A Bathurst job

Paying good wages

Is  such a dream

Eureka!

An artist job

Can this be true?

Only multi-media need apply

Mixed-media artist

Just will not do

 

My dream job is in Toronto. Like any good Canadian I love Montreal. But I love Toronto even more and would be so happy to live there.

So, why do I mention it? Because I was born to share I guess. My need to share comes out of years of experience. No, I am not speaking about actual paying-job experience. I’ve had little enough of that. I mean the sort of experience one gets from years of job-hunting, groveling before gatekeepers and volunteering help wherever and whenever I have seen a real need.

So …
If I were a salesman I might tell you that you’d better jump at this job since the offer is only open for one or two more days. Sigh, how many times have we heard that one?

So … My name is Sharon (I love how that sounds like sharin’) and here is the dream job I found today.

https://ccednet-rcdec.ca/en/job/2015/09/18/associate-research-and-policy

And why would I need a job, some might ask. Don’t I already have so much to do in my lovely studio at 212 St Andrew Street in Bathurst? Yes, but like most artists I am unable to make a living by my art. While I love what I do, winter is coming, NBPower rates will be going up and the studio will be getting cold. Already I must wear a warm sweater and leg warmers. Soon I will be wearing gloves to work as I did when I rented my studio at the Doucet-Hennessy House a few years back. This year I am presented with an additional challenge. A broken leg keeps me somewhat immobile and unable to move around enough to keep warm while I am working.