Understanding the ecology of art

Tonight I attended a symposium about community in the arts at Harbourfront. It was a joint event organized by Paris Toronto, a ten-month events series coordinated by the Consulate General of France in Toronto and Institut français. The event tonight involved twenty or so individuals that represent Canada and France, to discuss what they think about communities in art means, and it was their chance to "de-code" or explain what the ecology of an art scene means.

The event was an interesting outlook of what people in the arts think. All of them contribute to curating it in some way, either by being involved in putting shows together and starting discussions about art through other people's art or their own. Each guest had two minutes to speak where some had very good ideas, albeit brief, and others seem to miss the point, or rather, their interpretations of what community meant in the art world was lost on me, and others.

There were some great points discussed which I took note: one speaker referenced a Wikipedia entry of the etymology of the word "community", which is derived from two Greek words that essentially mean "gift of being with". This is a nice idea as it is a gift being with or involved in a community, like a collective, even if there are some challenges with that. Another guest talked about collaborating with two completely different communities that aren't necessarily art-based (like a science focused group) and putting them together to create a new form of community where they share ideas. Another guest used an analogy of a murmur of birds where each bird is responding to the birds closest to it, not the leader of the swarm.

To me, communities in art means an open and inclusive place. Often, art can seem like the opposite because it can reference far-fetched ideas or create discussions that alienate people who want to understand art. One guest speakers acknowledged that this statement was true that but they didn't say that they would change it, which is a shame. While it is important to discuss art and how it reflects in our lives, but it's also important to not alienate those who seek to understand it and be a part of it.

The topic of creating communities through art was touched upon but unfortunately no one elaborated on the few known communities where art settled and that a community grew from it like Marfa, Texas, or Fogo Islands, Newfoundland.

I was really surprised that the topic of online art communities wasn't brought up by guest speakers. When the question was asked by a member in the audience, no one on the panels seem to have any knowledge or at least, the expertise on the subject, which is unfortunate. I feel that it's an important step in building art communities, moving away from a physical institution and bringing different ideas from other cultures. I've seen collaborations between two or more people from different parts of a country or another country as blogs. These blogs aren't necessarily considered high art in terms of content but they are examples of building a community.

The evening was good in opening up my eyes to how we think of art and how it can be involved in our community, making me ask questions and think about what I can contribute to my community. How does my community look like? What's involved and what is it trying to say? Should we re-invent institutions or should we change the context in what we're presenting to the world? Questions, questions… I have to do a bit of digging in order for me to find out those answers.

Achievement

I'm taking a break from writing my essay to write this post.

School is kicking my ass, and in a way, I'm happy that it is. Every time I'm reminded about my former work life, whether it's my former work neighbourhood or something that reminds me of that life, I think about my life now and I am grateful for this opportunity to pursue something I've always wanted to do.

The struggle of writing an essay is not feeling that I'm used to, or remember doing as it's been so long since I wrote an essay, but I'm enjoying the process of learning. I guess it appeals to my interest in writing, and learning about something new. I'm currently writing an essay about Chinese porcelain and I've learned so many fascinating things about it.

Today, I found out that one of my in-class assignment from my Drawing class made into the First Year Art and Design Show! It was a pleasant surprise and I'm happy that it made in. The drawing is a reduction and it's a simple drapery piece but my teacher liked it and selected it for the show.

I'm excited and proud that my hard work is paying off. If ever I think about my former life, I will think about this achievement.

Jane & Serge Forever

I am almost finished my embroidery portraits of Jane Birkin and Serge Gainsbourg.

I initially wanted to finish my pieces before the start of the school year but things didn't exactly go as planned. Since starting school, I've had no time to do any embroidery which is unfortunate because working in this medium is a stress reliever.

However, I've had a nagging feeling to finish these lately (I blame Mercury in retrograde which is happening right now) and I decided to mount some of them onto hoops to "finish off" my project.

They look great! I'm so happy with the way things turned out. There's two more in the series that require a bit of tweaking but this project is almost done!

Hi there, I'm Stephanie but most people call me Steph.

I decided to launch this blog because I wanted to have the opportunity and the platform to write down my thoughts and show you what I'm interested in. I have a bunch of blogs out on the Internet but they each fulfil their own tasks.

For now, this blog is my playground, my canvas and is a collection of thoughts and ideas. I also want to add my own inspirations and artists I admire. This blog will be art-centric but I will also show you aspects of my life and what I'm doing.

Enjoy the ride.