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| My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we’ll change the world Jack Layton Over the past few months, it has felt like there has been an election every other day whether in other provinces, municipalities, or the behemoth on our southern border. We have a new election call in NS and are waiting for when the writ will be drawn up federally. We know that for many, it is a time of heightened anxiety, distress and uncertainty.I don’t include the quote above for any partisan purpose but rather because it’s a vital message for all of us, no matter what our political persuasion.I have been thinking about Layton’s words a lot over the past few days, as we celebrated a new tradition. On Hallowe’en night staff from Ross Creek walked with families through Canning for Hometown Hallowe’en, and included some students from India, each holding Diwali lanterns that we made in the afternoon. It was the Indian students’ first time experiencing Hallowe’en, and our community was gracious and invited them to see their haunted hallways (and get treats).After we got back to the Annex, we celebrated Diwali through prayer and feasting with 30 Indians and Indo-Canadians. The honour of being invited to participate in a celebration of a triumph of light over dark, good over evil and knowledge over ignorance felt just..right. The next night, we celebrated the Mexican tradition of Day of the Dead together with members of our Mexican community. |
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| I mention this because this past week has solidified my belief that by purposefully reaching out beyond our own artistic (including theatrical) traditions, honouring different cultures in our facilities and celebrating together, we ensure that arts and culture spaces are truly welcoming and inclusive. We hope that we can, in return, both share our traditions and cultural work while also seeing how they can lead to new work together in the future – learning from and inspiring each other. As we reflect on the amazing diversity that has grown even in our little village over the past few years, we want to ensure that everyone – whether the first people, or the most recent newcomers, knows that Ross Creek and Two Planks are places for and about you – and that you are more than just welcomed, you are embraced. As anxiety hits a fever pitch, finding those moments to care for each other and to open our doors and our hearts become more vital. It is a doubled down commitment to hope and optimism and love, which can be a radical act. As bell hooks said, “The moment we choose to love we begin to move against domination, against oppression. The moment we choose to love we begin to move towards freedom, to act in ways that liberate others and ourselves. That action is the testimony of love as the practice of freedom.” Optimism can be dismissed as unrealistic in what can be cynical times. But I consider myself an informed, willful optimist – we could never have created Ross Creek otherwise. I don’t subscribe to the belief that things will ”just work out”, but rather believe that with hope and care and extremely hard work and support, we can make things better. Together we can create places like Ross Creek and Two Planks and moments like we had last week, full of compassion and joy. We can make things better even if we (or the world) sometimes falters. And when I falter, I remember the difference it can make to simply welcome someone – truly welcome them – and that it is a way to look forward with hope – to imagine and work towards a world where things will get better even if sometimes we move backward for a spell.This work takes time. It takes a willingness and excitement to learn – by me and Ken, by our staff, by our audiences, by the community. But I do believe that it will continue to ensure that Ross Creek is a space of collective creativity and meaningful experiences that bring us together so we can celebrate our diversity while finding common ground, and tell our collective story.One of the ways that we work at creating that better future is as an arts advocate. I am proud to serve on the steering committee of the Canadian Arts Coalition which works to educate politicians and the public about the importance of arts and culture in Canada. I will be heading to Ottawa for Arts Day on the Hill on November 19 where we will be working to increase the level of funding for the arts across Canada by 0.06% (to 1%) of federal spending. I look forward to meeting with MPs and others as we encourage all parties to support this vital sector of our economy and our social fabric. While there, I will also be representing Theatre NS, of which I am co-chair, at a meeting of Arts Service Organizations from across Canada to talk about the way forward. Similarly, for the past four years, Ken has been chair of the Arts Nova Scotia, helping to steer this important funder to make it more ready for the future needs of NS artists. His term ended on Sunday as he focuses for the fall on the preparing for a season of plays that while lots of fun, also find deeper meaning in our times – see below. In another look forward to a better future in our cultural and wider community, Ken and I have been invited to serve as part of a mentorship team for the inaugural Artistic Leadership Residency at the National Theatre School of Canada this coming February. We will be helping emerging arts leaders explore Leadership in Times of Crisis. The goal of this residency is to build community across generations and geography, which is dear to our hearts as people who live to bring people together to share ideas and make connections with the next generations of artists and arts leaders. While this work is extra (and makes our daily lives more complex), it is all of a piece. We continue to learn every day, from the kids and the students and the artists, volunteers and audiences (current and potential) we meet every day. By committing to these kinds of volunteer roles, we hope that might share what we have learned so far with others to keep us all moving forward – to celebrate, to share, to have and give hope. We see what we do both at Ross Creek and Two Planks and in these advocacy roles to be acts of love, ways to help shine a light even from this corner on the North Mountain.We send you all love and hope for patience and kindness over the coming weeks. Let us remember to be loving, hopeful and optimistic. It might take longer than we sometimes hope, but together, we can change the world. Thanks so much for being part of the journey, Chris and Ken |
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