artist

The person who creates the art is called the artist. The person who creates my particular art is named Maggie.

Think Ahead

I’m thinking …

March 8, 2015 IWD

So … What exactly does that mean?
What do we anticipate?
Hope for?
Dream about?
Expect?
What are we willing to question?
Ask for?
Demand?

What’s it gonna be, George?
Good weather?
In March? Is that a reasonable request?
May as well hope for world peace.

Hmmm maybe hope for good weather by May
http://www.accuweather.com/en/ca/bathurst/e2a/may-weather/1002?monyr=5/1/2015

Mind if we think back,
http://www.sweetloveable.com/you-are-invited-join-women-on-the-bridge-in-bathurst-new-brunswick-march-8-2012/

It was March 8, 2012 and the weather was beautiful.

I had such great hopes, George. Wonder why I became invisible.
http://www.womenforwomen.org.uk/profile/MargaretSharonOlscamp

Do you suppose it was because I didn’t send any money?
I guess that’s what it was about … Raising money … Not about celebrating International Women’s Day was it?

So … Because I did not collect money … Because I had no money to donate … Well I was made invisible … Sigh … Story of my life …

Oh well … Better than the year I was thrown out of the local Bathurst NB IWD celebration because I was not content to be a nice little lady and sit quietly while the visiting dignitary droned on and on about how women needed to … Hmmm never did quite understand what the point of it all was … then again … Do motivational speakers ever really have a point?

Well no George, I was not unruly or argumentative. I simply openened my mouth … Asked a few questions … Hmmmm … Guess not all motivational speakers deal well with questions, do they?

Was I there by invitation? Well, it wasn’t free. I was sold a ticket to the event. I paid my own way in. No charity there.

I’ve not been to an IWD gathering since then.

This Year?
http://www.internationalwomensday.com/theme.asp#.VONaKd33arV

Will I?
I have no idea George? Is it really something for us … The invisible women? Or is it designed to provide higher salaries for NGO managers. It still isn’t the women who get the jobs, George. Women get the leftover scraps and we are only tolerated as long as we are content to remain unseen and unheard.

Speaking of scraps, George, you know all those cans and jars of food we’ve been thinking about donating to the food bank? Well, I’ve changed my mind.

Because I’m a poor artist? Well, maybe that too … But have you seen this:
https://www.policyalternatives.ca/publications/monitor/why-governments-can-safely-ignore-hunger

No George I don’t think so … That stuff about throwing rotten eggs and tomatoes and mushy cream pies at politicians … No that was only in those old movies … Never be allowed today .. Besides … What a waste of good compost …

And no George … I don’t believe that throwing rotten eggs and tomatoes is a legitimate motivator for raising salaries … Besides … What’s all this fuss about raising minimum wage … Sure, it helps those who already have a job. What about those whu don’t … Those who don’t have a job I mean.

Gentrification & Art & Traffic Flow

My thoughts are that people should not be forced out of their own community through neglect or lack of equal opportunity or, in some cases, public work projects that can make or destroy whole neighbourhoods and business communities.

I have spent a lifetime watching alternate governments exert their power to disrupt generations-long neighbourhood dynamics and traffic flow. Old family businesses which are vulnerable to extended road closures were bound to fail. Whether this was done through design or stupidity Is beyond my ken. Such decisions are made behind closed doors through which few of us are ever invited, especially those who won’t meekly agree.

Gentrification and assimilation have long been used to cleanse communities of any uncooperatives such as artists and writers and objecters who dare step into that fuzzy space the power-brokers cannot fathom.

The thing is that artists and writers often bring value to those run-down buildings nobody else would consider inhabiting. The poor souls might even be happy there until the gentrifiers swoop in. If the developers do make a profit while “cleaning up the mess” who will object except maybe a few poor artists or writers.

I don’t blame any one government agent. They are merely pawns in some larger game sweeping away any artist who refuses to sit quietly in some government-approved corner whitewashing their words or their art.

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.

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

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

The Blest Apostate

The Blest Apostate

Eureka

The Blest Apostate

She went to all the finer schools
Did you hear them say
Those priests and nuns
They taught her well
But look at her today
Apostate is what they say
Apostate what they call her
Who will no longer pray
Saviour please dear Saviour
Pray save us her witless wit
The Apostate though
She flicks her Bic
She’s had enough of it
Copyright 2014 MSO
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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

Thank You

I want to send a warm Thank You to all the wonderful friends and supporters who have been faithfully voting for me every day on Aviva. It is good to know how much support there is for artists in our community.

During the month of November I will be busy working on writing a novel. CLICK HERE if you are interested.

If you wish order my book at the special price of $20.00, please contact me through the contact link at http://www.chaleurbay.com.

Thank you for your support.

A Special thank you to Aimee who has been especially encouraging. In order to help me she has taken precious time out away from writing her second novel.

Thank you Bathurst and Sackville friends of past and present, Dolores, Lyn, Gail and Dianne for being the first to respond to my new personal artist page HERE.and here I am

So as I take on the challange of writing my first novel, thank you in advance for your continuing support.

Now what will this novel be, one might wonder … Will the author be writing one of those modern one foot in the grave semi-sorta-what used to be called gothic romance? Will it be a shot at singularity? Will she perhaps indulge in a bordeline bio because being a first-time novelist, even at her advanced age, she lacks the experience of writing about anything outside her closed little life? If it is to be that final genre, will she reveal the reason why finally, after all these years she decided to forgo slick professionalism and pimp herself on FB?
Who knows …

…

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?

Have Fun …

Have fun!”

Yes, if someone is going out to a comedy show or a party or a concert, maybe it is an acceptable comment to offer them.
But is it really the right thing to say to a artist who is going into the studio to work?
Is it a bit of an insult, or is this artist just too thin-skinned? And how is the artist to respond gracefully to such a comment?
What might be the response of a surgeon who is about to operate, a lawyer preparing to defend a courtcase, a policeman, a fireman, an accountant, a soldier, or any member of a dozen other professions? How would they react if someone flippantly told them to “have fun” in their place of work?

Just wondering …