SPECIAL TO PENTICTON POLITICS
Note from PP: Special thanks to Donna Schellenberg, a long time volunteer and supporter of the development of the Arts community in Penticton. No community conversation would be complete without some thoughts and opinions on arts and culture- thanks Donna for starting the conversation!
Happiness, the Arts & Penticton: by Donna Schellenberg
There are so very many talented people in Penticton it is hard to get to everything that is going on, in this city. Agree? As a rule, talented people want to execute their craft regardless of getting a paycheck for their efforts. It is a happiness thing they do!
But then you turn to professional musicians, in this case, who make their “living” doing their “thing”. This usually takes them years to become accomplished. I mean to get really good! (Either that or they have very good press agents or managers.) The years to learn a trade or craft and to become accomplished are no different for a musician, than it is for a doctor, lawyer or First Nation’s chief. (I am thinking of Chief Louie in Osoyoos.)
Professional musicians have to eat too and so do their kids! That is why I support the Okanagan Symphony. I will agree it is much easier to support with dollars and time, children’s causes, hospitals, even park benches with a loved one’s name on it. We can see and maybe use a new CT scan at our hospital, and sit on a physical park bench.
So what do musicians in particular, give us in return? Well, they are our teachers of music for our children. They give us joy with their concerts. Happiness again, both for them and us! And musicians, all artistic folk really, can come up with creative ideas for their community. Those ideas may even employ people.
Have you been to Stratford on Avon in Ontario, Ashland Oregon, the Jazz Festival Circuit or the Elvis Circuit?
Artists have to know what their craft could do and then they employ the rest of us to execute the ideas. And there is happiness in that too. And maybe a paycheck.
We thank the City of Penticton for supporting our Symphony. That $9,000 pays for 1/5 of one concert which OSS puts on in Penticton.
I was recently told that Penticton is probably the largest city in Canada without a theatre. And wouldn’t it make you happy to have an architecturally beautiful Performing Arts Theatre in which to house OSS? It would certainly make my day!
Hello Donna!
Thanks so much for starting this blog and conversation – great idea!
I agree with many of your points regarding professional musicians – they are incredibly valuable and important members of our community and deserve to be treated as such i.e. financially compensated to the extent that they can properly take care of themselves and their family, as any other contributing member of a community.
I would like to add to the list the plight of the professional visual artist. We also are trying to make a living doing our “thing”, and this also requires a lifetime of study and dedication. Unfortunately, the assumption that “as a rule, talented people want to execute their craft regardless of getting a paycheck for their efforts” is very prevalent and damaging. And again, I am speaking of professional artists, not hobbyists who have a day job through which they are financially sustained.
To be honest, as a professional visual artist, there are very few moments of true “happiness”. It is an extremely demanding, health-compromising lifestyle filled with stress, deadlines, expectations, competition – all the while with the constant and unrelenting pressure of poverty and not being able to take care of oneself properly.
Yet, there is a never-ending list of people that expect artists to do things for free – install exhibitions, give talks, donate work, visit schools, teach children, volunteer etc. The assumption is that artists are such because they “love” what they do – therefore they should be more than happy (grateful even!) for the opportunities. Would anybody ever ask their dentist if he would please donate his time and dental work because surely he must be grateful for the opportunity and exposure?
The reality is that I am an artist because I think that art is important for a community. 100% of my income comes from my art practice. If I were to get a “day job”, my ability to create new work and exhibit it publicly would be greatly hampered. I have chosen this life path and, for the moment, am still soldiering my way forward.
My hope, and this blog is a great step in the right direction!, is for communities and individuals to recognize the importance of artists in our community, to acknowledge their value, and to position artists as equals alongside any other trained, committed professionals in our towns – and find ways to fairly compensate them (financially) for their incredibly hard work and dedication to making everybodys life just a little bit better.
Thanks a lot for this blog! Looking forward to seeing how things develop!