ART MATTERS

Today, I had the privilege of giving a talk at the Rotary Club of Festival City titled ART MATTERS and I wanted to take this opportunity to share some aspects of my presentation and to explain exactly why art matters to us – to our communities and cities, to our countries, and to our collective future.

Recently I read the article For Art Lovers, Detroit is a Tale of Two Cities in The Washington Post by Philip Kennecott which discusses Detroit’s move to have their art collection appraised as just another physical asset of their bankrupt City:

 “Art, is not an essential asset and especially not one that is essential to the delivery of services in the city,” said FGIC managing director Derek Donnelly.

Yet, when we consider art’s role in our societies – as the definition of invention – as the progenitor of all new ideas, forms, and functions – we realize that art has always been essential to our cities. Art is fundamentally creation; innovation, invention. It represents the original, the new. The exploration. The culture.

Creativity has profoundly changed the world. The wheel is one of the single most important inventions of human-kind and it would never have happened without an artistic mind imagining and creating it.

And today, what about your Apple iphone?

It is in Apple’s DNA that technology alone is not enough—it’s technology married with liberal arts, married with the humanities, that yields us the results that make our heart sing.
– Steve Jobs, introducing the iPad 2 in 2011

The leaders of this world know that our future is entirely contingent upon creative thinking: whether that’s in medical discovery or in finding environmental solutions or in designing new technologies.

I believe that creativity will be the currency of the 21st century.
– Gerald Gordon, Ph.D., President/CEO, Fairfax County (Virginia) Economic Development Authority

The future belongs to young people with an education and the imagination to create.
–President Barack Obama

The Arts are not a “non-essential” item; they are a powerful economic driver and we have evidence to prove this:

• Arts and culture industries play a vital role in attracting people, business, and investment, and in distinguishing Canada as a dynamic and exciting place to live and work.
• The Conference Board estimates that the economic footprint of Canada’s culture sector was $84.6 billion in 2007, or 7.4 per cent of Canada’s total real GDP
• Culture sector employment exceeded 1.1 million jobs in 2007
• 10 million Canadians visited an art gallery in 2010, which is 35.7% of the population. This figure grew from 19.6% in 1992 and 26.7% in 2005. (Canada Council for the Arts)
• Canadians spent $27.4 billion in 2008 on cultural products and services according to the study Consumer Spending on Culture in Canada, the Provinces and 12 Metropolitan Areas in 2008 (Hill Strategies Research, 2010). In comparison, this $27.4 billion is greater than the combined spending of consumers on hotels, motels and other travel accommodation
• Canadians currently spend more than double on the arts than they spend on sports events.
• Consumer spending on culture was three times larger than the $9.2 billion spent on culture by all levels of government in 2007/08.

Creativity is the future and that’s why art is more important today than at any other time in human history – as we face enormous scientific and environmental challenges we will need to find alternative, innovative, creative solutions. Our future depends on creativity.

ART MATTERS and it matters a lot.

~ Aidan Ware, Executive Director

From the Studio | Meet the Educator: Melissa Quinn

From classical to contemporary approaches – the range of Gallery Stratford’s Art Educators bring unique strength and style to our programs. These creative leaders continually nurture and inspire the intelligence of imagination. In this Meet the Educator series, we will introduce the exceptional talents at the forefront of art education in our community.

Visual Artist & Art Educator: Melissa Quinn

Melissa Quinn is a mixed media artist living and working in Stratford and region since 2002. She earned her Honours B.A. in Fine Art Cultural Studies from York University (Toronto). Her goal is to encourage students to explore their own creativity through process and exposure to a variety of mediums – to see art as a means of communication, self expression, and fun.

A Gallery Strat Chat:

(Education Officer, Peg and Art Educator, Melissa Quinn)

Peg: Melissa, thank you for sitting down with me to answer some very nail biting questions.

Melissa: Uh-Oh.

Peg: What is your favourite colour?

Melissa: All blues.

Peg: I’m a blue girl too – but steel blue…sometimes found on the bottom of boats…do you know that shade of blue?

Melissa: ???

Peg: What is your favourite art material?

Melissa: Found objects.

A note to the reader: Melissa never throws anything out. It’s not that she’s a pack-rat; she simply sees the value in almost everything.  It’s quite spectacular!

Peg: What is your favourite motto for teaching art?

Melissa: There are no mistakes, only lessons and opportunities for growth.

Peg: That is my type of motto! Who is your favourite artist of all time?

Melissa: Georgia O’Keefe. She was her own person, she lived her own life. And someday, I want to live in a desert with great big dogs.

Peg: Lastly, in addition to teaching and making art – what else should we know about you?

 Melissa: I play guitar.

Peg: And…you are a really good whistler!

Thank you, Melissa for all that you do. We look forward to your future teachings, amazing creations, and hearing you whistle while you work!

Please visit our website to view classes led by Melissa Quinn.

~ Peg Dunnem, Education Officer

Start of the Journey

A month ago, I stepped into the Gallery Stratford office for the first time – joining as Executive Director. I met my staff, learned where everything was, and had an introduction to the systems…

On the first day, it’s hard to know where to begin, where to cast your feet down for the start of the journey.

Yet, I feel fortunate to have been supported by the members of the board and the gallery staff as I made my transition into this role – not just on that first day, but continuously throughout this last month.

As the Stratford community becomes unveiled to me, I have come to see that it is an extremely innovative place and that creativity is something that doesn’t just define the more formal cultural aspects of the city, but that creativity permeates every aspect of how people live their lives here.

Both as the new director of the Gallery and as a new Stratford citizen, this feels like home.

I believe that creativity underpins innovation which is why when we teach children art, we are teaching them about how to think differently; we are teaching them to be leaders, inventors, designers, builders, and entrepreneurs. Art matters. It matters because without it, we wouldn’t have Apple iphones or Facebook or heck even the wheel. Art matters because it encourages us to be human – to dream, to aspire, to create new things.

Art matters very much to me. Today, a month after my very first day, I find myself happy at the helm of a wonderful, community-driven gallery, and happy that the journey is here and it is readied. It is time to set course and cast feet upon the road.

I hope you will join me often along the way.

~ Aidan Ware, Executive Director