Artsy...

Interesting day today.

Currently we are gripped in unseasonably warm weather.  It's a welcome relief after what has been a very long and snowy winter.  What makes this week double-plus-good is that the kids are enjoying March break.   We have been filling our days with lots of walks and outdoors things but today we spent some time indoors looking at pictures of the outdoors.

Weird.

Anyway - we went to the McMichael Canadian Art Collection - a real showcase for the Group of Seven.  My daughter had recently studied the Group of Seven in school and wanted to get a look at the real thing.  After a trip across some winding and bumpy springtime roads, the wee lad vomited into a bag in the back seat a few minutes before arriving at our final destination.

After a less than welcoming reception at the front desk, we entered the gallery and started looking at pictures.  I saw a very interesting ink drawing by Tom Thompson which showcased  a poem excerpt by Henry Van Dyke called The Footpath of Peace.  My son kind of liked it so I took out his camera, making sure that the flash was turned off, and was about to snap a picture when I heard an officious voice from behind.

"There's no photography allowed in here."

I lowered the camera with what must have been a puzzled look on my face.

"I'm sorry," I said.  "I didn't realize that photos weren't allowed."

"Well, there's a sign right behind you!"  I add the exclamation mark to illustrate the snottiness her words were saturated with.

I turned, looked and almost laughed.  There, stuck to a door post - behind me  - ie not visible to someone entering the gallery (as I just had) - was a decal of a camera surrounded with a circle with a line through it.  The thing was no bigger than a cigarette package.  It wasn't even black - it was a washed out grey - I wish I had a picture of it, but...

Seriously.  The art displayed in their gallery is so impressive that a tiny little decal doesn't stand a chance of being noticed.  If there's to be no photography, tell me about it before I enter.  There is no posted camera policy in the lobby that I could find - I checked.  

I don't understand what the issue with photos is.  I have pictures of The Night Watch taken in full view of the security guard at the Rijksmuseum - in fact I think he's in a few of them.

  

Is it a question of preservation?  I don't think so.  If a camera flash can adversely affect the pigments et al in the painting, what the hell is all the lux spilling from those miles of track lighting doing?  Besides, these pictures were all originally painted by guys with fishguts on their hands on the shores of lakes with the wind blowing the ash from the cigarettes dangling from their lips onto the canvas.  A little flash from my kid's camera ain't doing squat.

Is it copyright?  I don't think so.  I doubt anyone will confuse my digital photo with an authorized print, let alone pay for it - especially with my kid in the photo standing next to the painting.

I think it more likely that there is a climate of privilege at this gallery.  I think they don't allow photos simply because they can.  It is their art and I should feel grateful that they let me pay an arm and a leg to go look at  it.  No one in the entire gallery seemed to grasp the concept of customer service.  I don't expect anyone to kiss my ass - that's not customer service - but like it or not, a gallery is a service organization.  They have a packaged product that they are selling and renting to the public and in that situation the staff have an obligation to their patrons and customers.  The chief obligation is to be polite.  Not a lot of politeness going on at the McMichael Collection today.

Another thing that struck me as odd.  One of the walkie-talkie packing...Nazis is too strong a word...lets call her a ...matron - yeah, that works.  One of the walkie-talkie packing matrons took great pride in telling my wife that they had only ten percent of the paintings on display.

WTF!

You have all this space  - they do - and you keep 90% of your stuff hidden from view?  Why the hell would you not have them on the walls or send them on tour?  Why would you keep them hoarded away?

Ahhhh.  I know.  Someone might take a picture of one... 

Late nights

I had another opportunity to speak before a group last night and find that I kind of miss presenting to a room full of people.  I've been discussing a park that our local Heritage Committee is working to get build in our small town.  The project is finding a groundswell of support and I like to think it has everything to do with my wonderful persuasive skills.

Actually, it has everything to do with the concept, design and relevance - all of which I can take minimal credit for.  It's a great project.  I'll keep you posted.

I got home around 10:30 to find the kids asleep and my wife falling asleep with a book.  Only the lovely Willow decided to stay up and keep me company while I worked.  Earlier in the day I had finished a rough draft of a new story - a story short enough for a specific magazine with limited space and hence a limited word count on its submissions.  When I read it with Willow at my elbow I saw all the rough spot that needed to be polished.  My wife had also marked up a copy of the story before retiring for my consideration.  Around 1:00am I had the story at a point where I could go to bed.  I'll let it rest a couple of days, then off to the magazine.

I must be getting old.   I need a nap.

 

March is Literacy Month...if you're a Rotarian

I had an opportunity yesterday to speak at our local Rotary Club luncheon.  Before yesterday I knew very little about the Rotary Club.  I figured, like similar organizations, they would be a little stuffy, a little preachy and a little culty.  They weren't stuffy at all and other than a little grace before lunch there was nothing of the preachy.  Culty?  A little maybe, but not as much as you'd think.

I imagine the Lions, The Optimists and the Masons are kind of the same. They are clubs, afterall.All of them do work in the community and until you make a personal connection you probably have no inkling what these well-to-do (usually) folks are doing in their Masonic Halls, Their Lodges and their Curling Club lunches.  I certainly didn't.

For example, I had no idea that March is Literacy Month for the Rotarians and that their goal this month is to supply every Grade 3 public school child in their region with a dictionary.  They also called upon each of the people present at the luncheon yesterday to volunteer at least once this month at one of the Early Years Centres in town to read to a group of pre-schoolers.

They we're a very gracious crowd.  They welcomed me warmly before the lunch.  They fed me a decent meal.  They listened attentively to what I had to say.  They laughed at all the right spots and gave me a round of applause at the end.  Very satisfying.

What was even more satisfying was the certificate they gave me at the end of my talk.  To show their appreciation to me for coming to speak to them they made a donation in my name to Rotary International's Polio Plus Campaign.  Forty children will be vaccinated against polio as a result of my coming to speak to them yesterday.  That's a pretty cool parting gift.

I didn't know this before yesterday but the Polio program is one of the main goals of the Rotary Club.  Their efforts have contributed to a 99 percent decrease in the number of polio cases world-wide and their goal is to celebrate the global eradication of polio.  There are worse mission statements to be sure.