art

Last Call

Hey George
Want to go to Toronto?
Not today … October 3rd … Well there is this amazing free night of art … You know George … I do believe Scotiabank really supports art and artists … Well maybe not here in Bathurst, NB … So … Shall we move to Toronto?

No George … Missed the deadline … Well you know how I feel about competitions …
Besides the deadline is today … Well really …

Calling Artists for Nuit Blanche 2015: Info Sessions Jan.5, 12 + Submission Deadlines Jan.19, Feb.17

We missed another deadline, George. Oh well …m
Go to Toronto? Do you think? Evenafter the warning I just received?

Oh, did you not see it?

Someone just warned me that I might die if I left Bathurst, NB.

Hooooo … Hoooo … Hilarious, George. Like that is not just one more been-there-done-that scenario? Talk about those experiences? No George, you wouldn’t believe me anyway.

Ask any homeless person how scary and dangerous is life for those who dare to venture outside the boundaries constructed for them.

http://www.homelesshub.ca

Maybe ask the warriors try to help them.
http://www.santjordi-asociados.com/author/paulo-coelho-institute

Take a walk? You want me to take a walk?
On the coldest night of the year?
George, have you no heart inside that wee black and white feathered breast?
http://www.coldestnightoftheyear.org
Can we talk about this first?

Is It Too Late?

Is it already too late?

Have all the artists moved away or given up completely?

Is that why, year after year, our area is pretty much overlooked by those colourful New Brunswick tourism publications?

I am still here and I’m hosting an artist festival in May. Anybody who is interested is invited to become involved.

There is no big slush fund. So far there are no paying jobs, and no luscious contracts. For the last six months there has been mostly just me working as an unpaid volunteer.

After fifty years of experience as a local artist I am taking this opportunity to invite the community to become involved in building something out of almost nothing.

The Artist Festival Headquarters is located at the art centre at 212 St. Andrew St. Bathurst, New Brunswick until at least the end of May. The door will be open every Friday and Saturday from 10:00 to 3:00 and people are cordially invited to drop in and ask about free registration for the festival.

By the end of May I should know how much support the Chaleur community has for art and artists.

Beautiful Bay

Artist … (Artsy Fartsy, Geek or not, talented or not)
Person … (Who may or may not know much about art but you know what you like )
Business … (owner, executive, tycoon, successful, wealthy or otherwise)

What in Chaleur Bay
Are you anyway?
Whatever you are
From here or afar
You are invited
To join us in May
Here oh here
On our beautiful Bay

Help us make Chaleur artsy
More: chaleurbay.com

I repeat

What you could do, if you are interested and so inclined, is to talk to the local merchants and businesses and ask each of them to actively seek out and find an artist to sponsor during May. That sponsorship might be as simple as displaying an artwork in their window or it could be more as their resources dictate.

Ars Usque Ad Mari

Canada’s motto is A Mari Usque Ad Mare … Now how is art supposed to fit into that?
As I sit myself down and think about it … This is what I manage to come up with
… Ars usque ad mare … Art from Sea to Sea
ahhhh … Enhhhhh … OK so please excuse my Latin … By the time this artist reached high school … Guess what … Latin had already died.

Ars

Hey … An International Arts Event is being held in Vancouver this coming May.
So far they have no artists from Chaleur Bay. There is still time … January 31 2015 is the deadline for artists to get in on the show. Check it out … http://www.artvancouver.net

Maybe all our local artists of Chaleur Bay are busy preparing for the upcoming Arts Symposium scheduled for next September … You suppose? http://www.symposiumbdc.com

Casting

Grace Too

Eureka

http://musiccanada.com

Casting a vote is one step towards revitalization.

…z
Thank you so much, everyone who helped.

You know who you are.

You are “AWESOME” as the kids might say.

Yes thank you
Thank you
Who are few
In number
Great in heart

Copyright 2014 MSO

Health, Sport, Active Living VS the Arts

The Eureka Notion

Eureka

A woman senior is especially vulnerable.
100% of 0 is 0. That appears to be how the world has balanced her worth.

...
...
...
...
...
...
$00000000.00

A contest George? You think that life is a contest between Health, Sport, & Active Living on one side and Arts on the other? Really? You think the only active healthy people are hockey players ... Might depend on how much bench time they occupy ... ice-time? That too.
Let's face it George. We canna all be hockey stars. Nice job if ye can get it. Or as they say around here "GO MAN GO"

Or maybe ...

Go mamm go ... Are there any women on the TITAN TEAM?

TITAN GO"

Health, Sport, & Active Living
So ... You asked ... What does art have to do with Health, Sport, & Active Living?
Think George ... Think ...
Not sure huh? No George ... Martial Arts is not quite what we are all about. However, I did once design a poster for a local martial Arts Club. That was many years ago George. Sigh ... Just one more in a long list of volunteer efforts to support healthy activities in my community. Artists do that sort of thing, did you know, George?

There were other periods in my life when I visited people who were in hospitals and special schools. The idea was to share my art gifts with them, teach them to draw or share conversations that perhaps only an artist might be willing to share. One of these people had never gone to school, living his entire life in a bed or a wheelchair. I encouraged him to draw and read and think outside his small room in the institution where he lived. I pushed his wheelchair on walks outside the building when the weather was fine. The only other activity provided by the institution was the occasional game of Bingo, which is hardly more of a healthy sport than Art, do you think George?

Think of Arts as one more option George.

…

The Eureka Notion

Eureka

A woman senior is especially vulnerable.
100% of 0 is 0. That appears to be how the world has balanced her worth.

…
…
…
…
…
…
$00000000.00

Here you go George … This is it! The final act! What?
What act? George, have you been sleeping on the job again?
It matters George … It matters …

Sigh … Yes George … sigh … Yes … Very frustrated … Here I’ve been working on my rock opera every day for … Well no I don’t put in eight hours a day … I do have other things to do … Art, George … When I’m not working on the rock opera I paint and … Yes George … Yes I realize you don’t really care for my paintings … That’s OK! I understand!

But about the rock opera … That is what I was trying to tell you George … the final act of the rock opera has …

Deus ex Machina? Is that what you said?
Hmmmmmm … Well considering that this is a low budget operation … Well I’ll just need to sleep on that one …

As I was trying to say … The last act will be the final gathering of the artists … One last ride if you will …

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=fJ3MG_TK2p0&feature=em-upload_owner

As the train carries our group of … Well I guess some might say anti-heros back home they are joined along the way by more
… And more artists …
Rajni Shah

Gallimard & Mauclet

Even at the Power Plant.

Paid? You are asking what I get paid?
Hilarious, as usual!
Ok George I do realize that we cannot expect the artists to work for free … You know George … The artists who are coming to Chaleur Bay for the Arts Festival next May 2015.
What’s what all about? Didn’t anyone tell you either?
OK George … Check it out … Take your time.

Oh yes, about the money to travel … Try http://canadacouncil.ca/council/grants/find-a-grant/grants/capacity-building-initiative-travel-grants

Hmmm well since they just announced that … Oh never mind …

Money to pay the artist?
You mean like a real salary?
Well what’s wrong with the way they usually do things around here … You know … a few beer …
Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Money for a Glass-blowers seminar? Well I’m not sure George … Do they do beer-bottles? I am serious George. You know the old saying … invent a better beer-bottle and the world will beat a path to your brewery.
Yes as a matter of fact I do enjoy beer now and then.
About that beer money …

Oh no no no … Listen to what you are saying George. It is simply not true. Not all the big prizes go to someone in the larger more prosperous communities. I’m sure someone from Chaleur Bay has an equal chance … Look at that New Brunswick artist who won the Molson Prize … He was from a small place along the Bay and … Hmmm … you don’t say … Moved to Moncton, did he?

Suppose he would like to come to our little art festival George … After all he’s important now … Bride! I don’t think so George … Besides he doesn’t appear to be that sort …
Also since we cannot expect him to work for nothing we will need a source of funding. A reasonabe source …

Bribe … That was the intended word George … Bribe not bride … Don’t you know the rules … These days it is ok to make mistakes … Typos are ok too …

Do I think there was bribery? No, I do not! That is the thing about artists. The real artists are not for sale. That is what makes artists what they are. Hmmm … Well George it’s a little thing called ethics.

Bribe? You want to know about bribe? Errr actually George … The word is usually not bribe … It is “bribes” … Yes George … Good old fashioned bribes … That is how the the rest of world mostly tumbles I guess … Didn’t you know? Across Canada? … No idea George … Not part of the Privy in Ottawa … Well … We all know what that stands for … No … Here in The Maritimes is really the only experience I have … Hmmm … bribes huh? You want to know about bribes? Wellll now here is how it works George … At least in my experience. First you find a contract … Yes George … A government contract … Is there any other kind these days. Sooooo … You find a contract … You say to yourself … “I can do this” well because positivity is the mandatory prerequisite these last years …no particular reason George … That’s the way things work in Canada … Positivity … So you find out who the government players are and you wine and dine … At the very least you never never never ever criticize government policies … Wining and dining? Well that is not what they call it George … They call it net-working … They tell you that if you want to get a contract then you must network … Well George … I guess it’s because networking sounds so much more innocent than wining and dining or bribery.

Step two … Well when you are offered the contract … Or even before … And the government agent suggests that you might hire his kid or another relative or friend or … Well whatever the connection … Of course there is nothing in writing that says you are obligated to hire the agent’s buddies or relatives … Get real George … What do you think they mean by networking?

See what I mean? And you ask me why I don’t like … Oh never mind George … let’s just end our rock opera like they did back when …

Eureka George! The Deus Ex Machina … Here we go … A huge screen … Think U2 … Yes that big … How about this for footage George?
Hmmm what is that song?
Where the pavement begins?
Where the pavement ends?
Ah yes … Where the streets have no name …
That’s it … That’s the song we need here …
Or Maybe Joni Mitchell…Parking Lot?
Maybe throw in a paving company or two
Fade out on a team of workers paving the lawn in front of City hall … around srniors homes and galleries … Well why should garages have all that lovely paving? Fair is fair especially when it comes to government grants and make work projects.

You and me George … Just you and me … We ride off into the sun… No no … We can’t afford to buy a beautiful solid black horse … George … Are those tears?