This is the 1 year anniversary of the Forerunner Column and in this edition we are going to look at one of the most important aspects of creating a forerunner friendly climate in a community or organization and how the arts are the forerunner of innovation and creative change.
The word revolution may seem to be misused here because it brings to mind men with rifles storming a fortress; but revolutions are going on everyday in the quiet of offices, schools, and businesses. Every time someone revises the way of doing something to improve efficiency and effectiveness, there is a mini revolution. Revolution is change which comes by force. It is human nature to resist change; therefore, most change comes because it is forced upon us, and that is revolution.
In a previous column I outlined how technology is the leader in social revolution. Technological advancements change the way we live our life, then this new lifestyle changes how we perceive our life. In other words, new technology forces social revolution. Although technology leads social innovation, it is not the foundation on which change is built. It is the cultural industries which create an atmosphere of creativity, flexibility, and innovation in a community on which other forerunners “feed”. The atmosphere or the “vibe” (short for vibration, a term commonly used by jazz musicians) is the catalyst for creativity and creativity and innovation are the foundation of enterprise and the prerequisite for wealth.
Art and music create the vibe of a community. A vibrant local arts community builds an atmosphere of “possibility” and is critical in attracting forerunners who are the main agents of change, innovation, and new enterprise. Their motivation is increased exponentially by the synergy of coming together with many forerunners in one place. The greater the public expression of creativity in a community, the greater the motivation to create is expressed by the community.
Good art causes us to look at everyday objects in entirely new ways. It challenges the boundaries, breaks the rules, and expands our boundaries to include ideas and perceptions that have not been previously considered. Art is a celebration of the capacity of humanity to create, build, and innovate. It interprets our emotions, our hopes, our failures and when it is successful on a personal level, it inspires us to aim higher, dig deeper, and break out of our self-induced limitations and think broader.
Good art lifts us out of the “way it is” into the realm of possibility. It challenges us to ask “why” and answer the question with, “why not”. Art IS the foundation of the economic health of a community – it is not the other way around. The arts community creates the vibe for forward, innovative thinking, and it attracts forward-thinkers to the community.
One of those forward-thinkers is Isabella Stefanescu – a founder and forerunner in our arts community. She came to the Waterloo Region on a mathematics scholarship from Romania. She had, however, been identified as a gifted artist as a child and had also been trained in visual art. In 1994, recognizing that visual artists required community, collaboration, and inexpensive studio space, Isabella and a small group of artists formed Globe Studios. The not-for-profit group has enhanced the viability of the arts and artists in our community, but not without a great deal of risk taking and personal sacrifice. The upside is that the existence of Globe Studios has made possible the proliferation of a local expression of visual art in our community, by making it a viable industry for artists. The existence of this artist cooperative under the Globe Studios banner has been inspiration for many arts assistance programs and numerous arts expressions, galleries, and events within Waterloo Region.
CAFKA
The Globe Studio success was not only inspiration to other arts groups but also an incubator for new ideas within art. One of those ideas became CAFKA (Contemporary Art Forum Kitchener and Area – pronounced calf-ca). Artists and forerunners in general who are in the business of creating are challenged by the human tendency to undervalue local artists and overvalue those who come from far away. For local art to exist it must first have local support; therefore, the premise that you must be accepted far away to be accepted at home is a dead end street for all but a very few artists. Local art is an expression of who we are and best tells our story and is, therefore, most valuable to us.
CAFKA attempted to address the problem of resistence to local artists by taking the creation of art into the market place. The public creation of art and artist talks in unexpected locations and in unexpected ways was bold, effective, and it impacted the community in many ways. The festival has become one of the most important art events in Ontario and a forerunner for many other public art creation festivals. The taking of art and artists to the community has been an important step in building an “art culture” within the region, and it has contributed to the community’s image in the minds of Canadians, as well as built the vibe. From its success has come the Open Ears (music) Festival, New Hamburg Live and numerous other music and arts festivals, theatre companies, galleries, and music and arts events all of which contribute to the wealth of our community in numerous ways.
It is the artists which lead their generation and every generation of artists must find an effective way of impacting their peers. Isabella Stefanescu and her colleagues at the Globe Studio are forerunners. Their vision, sacrifice, and persistence have helped build the arts community and has in turn contributed to the economic and cultural wealth of our region. All the artists and arts organizations in the Region are building the culture of innovation and change, and that is valuable to all of us. The appreciation of the arts and the importance of their role in the health and wealth of our community has been largely underestimated by the community. Artists and their contribution are interconnected to our economic, social, and cultural welfare. They deserve our support and honour for their important contribution to our region.
For more information about Globe Studios, visit: www.globestudios.org or CAFKA Visit:
www.contemporaryartforum.ca and New Hamburg Live www.newhamburglive.ca
© Paul Weigel 2009