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By Douglas Kennedy
Legend has it, back in the early 1990’s on a pleasant spring day in
Paris, painter Pnina Granirer discovered an Art Walk, ‘le Genie de
la Bastille’. Local Parisian artists opening their studios, apartments,
whatever, to the public to view and hopefully sell their paintings,
sculptures, drawings, lithographs and more. Enchanted by the idea
and discouraged with the results of gallery representation back home
in Vancouver, a seed was planted in Pnina’s very active imagination.
Back this side of the Atlantic that fall, having tea with neighbour and friend Anne Adams in the cozy hills of West Point Grey, brainstorming and discussing art and their own Open Studios, the seed germinated. Pnina said: "we could have a delightful Art Walk right here in West Point Grey". Thus began Vancouver’s first Art Walk open studio tour and cultural romp, a weekend of artistic show and tell.
The following spring I discovered a small announcement in Vancouver’s
biweekly Courier Newspaper about the Open Studios event, which seemed
like a pleasant way to spend a spring day. (As I found out later,
the Vancouver Courier has faithfully and generously supported Artists
In Our Midst by publicizing their event for the 11 years since its
creation). Indeed, it proved to be a great day, walking from studio
to studio following the map, feeling like a tourist in my own town.
I felt inspired and excited, being a painter and photographer myself.
I thought, this is a good way to represent oneself, in one’s own place,
on one’s own turf.
Some of the artists had small basement apartments, some had large
homes overlooking English Bay, some were well known with large canvases
and big careers, others had small, delicate watercolours set in beautiful
gardens. I saw art of all kinds and I found that very interesting.
The diversity was exciting, from almost amateur scenic paintings to
the latest cutting edge, high-end gallery art. The common ground seemed
to be a love of artistic expression, a belief in one’s abilities,
devotion to one’s calling to create art and a desire to show and tell
or show and sell.
One thing led to another and I telephoned Anne Adams. Using my best telephone manners, I got invited with my wife to a showing of Artists In Our Midst at the West Point Grey Community Centre. I was thrilled that I had found a group of artists that seemed to like me, and one that saw merit in my work and didn’t concern itself with its "sale-ability".
That next year another group was founded in Kitsilano and one in Dunbar,
later spreading into Kerrisdale, making three different groups opening
their studios during three consecutive weekends, all working under
wonderful guidelines established by our beloved founders Pnina and
Anne.
Growing from a dozen West Point Grey artists to a total of 75 artists
in Kitsilano, Dunbar/Kerrisdale and West Point Grey, this art show
is successful in far more ways than monetary rewards.
A sense of community in a "boomtown" like Vancouver is often feigned
or even invented by public relation firms to flog a product. However,
this community is the real thing, deep friendships between artists,
artists and clients, clients and clients, have been established. I’m
sure there are some love stories, fellow travelers, afternoon teas,
dinners, yoga groups, painting workshops, healing groups and church
groups that have been formed by the thousands of participants involved
with this community event.
Art, like sports, is a great representative of civilization at its best. Rich folks congregate with poor folks, integrity and skill play important roles in the making of a work of art or a good ball player. Everyone vicariously identifies with good artists and sportsman, and say to themselves "hey I could do that" and in a way they can, but each in different ways.
Proof of this is the inspiration other artists found in this event. After consultation with Artists in Our Midst, similar groups sprung up in Richmond and Burnaby, under the name of Artists Among Us.
The famous philosopher Emerson went to Italy to see the great works of art and discovered that he loved equally the works by his fellow neighbours as much as any he saw there. So fellow Vancouverites and visiting guests to our city by the sea, come, enjoy this marvelous event, find a treasure, meet your neighbours, enjoy a walk.
Vancouver is said by many to be one of, if not the best city in a modern (industrial) country to live in. That being the case, and Artists In Our Midst being, I’d say, the best community art show in the city, I feel it makes for the best grass roots art show in the world. Then again, as everyone knows, when it comes to art, like spirit, there is no best or worst, only that which we are drawn to.
The shows begin April 25 - 27 with a Friday night opening in West Point Grey at the West Point Grey Community Centre, 4397 W.2nd Avenue., May 2 - 4 in Kitsilano at the Vancouver Museum, 1100 Chestnut Street, and May 9t - 11 in Dunbar/Kerrisdale, at Saint Philips Anglican Church, 3737 W.27th Avenue. The artists will open their studios on the Saturday and Sunday following each Friday night opening.
I give special thanks to all of the merchants who have helped this to become a magical show.
For more details visit www.ArtistsInOurMidst.com
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