Farwell to froufrou
Not so abstract arts; no frills, no fuss, no muss. That’s how accessing the arts should be.
The arts are everywhere; in concert stadiums or concert halls, at art galleries or photography exhibits, in the park or on the street, at your nearby coffeehouse or bar, in libraries or bookstores, at comedy clubs…well, you get the picture.
Forget the stereotype of the arts being this hoity-toity, froufrou, think-they’re-too-good-for-me, snooty, form of expression that is out of your reach.
To me, the arts include the music of Led Zeppelin or Toronto singer-songwriter, Lori Cullen, Susan Orleans’ colourful short-stories, the synchronized “Jet Song” dance sequences in West Side Story, a 13-year-old’s journal capturing the angst of teenage-dom, a young child’s first attempt at finger-painting, silent or horror movies – even the original Friday the 13th flick, although honestly, the rest of the franchise’s series is up for debate – a trapeze artist or contortionist performing mind-boggling stunts. The list goes on.
But, I’m not saying that you have to love everything the arts have to offer. Maybe you prefer one form of dance to another, or find the spoken word non-sensical; while you might prefer the sounds of classical music to rock anthems, or have visions of watercolours dancing in your head – to each their own; explore what you want. The arts should not be preachy.
That’s what my column is set out to accomplish – dishing out the arts, whatever medium it may channel itself into – old and new music, book launches, gallery openings, arts and street festivals, off-the-wall plays, local arts programs, artist profiles, up-and-coming artists, new art-forms, poetry-on-the go, not-so-mainstream movies…so much to talk about, many entries to follow!