Thanksgivings ramble in the park

So not so much a rant as a ramble...

I had said in my in paper column that the support of the Mayor's office for the Bensley Open Stage at Memorial Park is huge. And it is. Its welcome and it should be applauded. I do think that there are those at City Hall who are capable of imagining a new version of Oshawa, but we do have to remember that there are still those career politicians and bureaucrats employed who have merely managed (and even then badly managed) the City's well-being for, in the case of some, for years.
Think about that. The changes that are occurring have not been the result of a gradual organic campaign over the last two decades but a sudden reversal of thought married to a quick turnaround. In some places thats called panic. Others call it politics.
However at a crisis point those who can manage the status quo are at a lost. The status quo is no longer. Their skills are useless. Folks need a leader then most of all.
The States, always one to lead, are leading again with a man who seems predestined to lead. Here we have been offered more managers. But we don't need anyone to manage. We need someone with imagination to lead us up and out and onto the new garden.
At City Hall too we have managers and I have to ask why has it taken so many years before the City has opened the bandshell to a wider array of voices. We have a beautiful weekend ahead of us weather-wise and this Thanksgiving Open Mic should be an enjoyable way to spend the after mass/ pre-dinner interlude. Yet where was the Open Mic in the Summer or the Spring...who planned the same series of bland pablum that has been running for years. Why has the bandshell been allowed to sit empty, Its a gaping plea for art, a metaphor set in concrete.
The Shwaltz is in its second year. Where was the City last September. Why did they choose not to build on it then. Why now do I hear all these ideas of how it can grow and expand into the downtown and incorporate various arts. The Shwaltz asked the Galleries and City Hall and various communities for their involvement. All were invited. Not one came. Stop telling me how you can build on something if you weren't in on it at the beginning when the call went out.
I do think that taking ownership and becoming involved with building the kind of world you wish to live in, is important. And everyone knows that the people of Oshawa want the Regent to succeed, we want the GM Centre to succeed, we want the students of UOIT/Durham College to feel at home and we want jobs, jobs, and more jobs. After Bensley's death I feel more motivated than ever to "be the change I wish for " . And so many others do too. Shelby Q of Earthtones and Dan Reiff of the Micronite Filters spoke eloquently of just that.
But there's always a but. And the BUT here is that an idea isn't enough. It needs to be acted on. So all of you who have spoken recently about how "cool" everything is becoming have to ask yourself where you have been for the last few years or so since the turnaround began. Sure there have been discussions and meetings but if you reply honestly to the question Did you act?, the reply is No you didn't. Where is the Farmer's Market y'all thought of first? Where are the independent galleries y'all say you want? Where are the free public events y'all say you want to organise? Where is the music y'all say you want to bring in. Where are the Music Weeks and the traffic stopping showcases. Yeah...Where is the action? I'm old school that way... the school of Joey Shithead... Talk minus Action = 0. What in fact are you waiting for...someone else to do it? Someone to give you permission, to hand over a key?
There are a handful of people who have been working in our scene on and off over the last decade or so, they are the ones who have built what we have, one show at a time, usually losing money if any was involved in the first place. Those who worked outside the Establishment are the ones who have kept this thing alive and stubbornly refused to let it die as one venue after another closed. If someone is looking to build here look to those people, seek them out... if you are looking to establish a business associated with the arts seek their advice first. They have been here for a long time and know the pitfalls. But the real bonus is they have no agenda, there is nothing they want from you other than your success. Contact me...I have their numbers.
City Hall is being rebuilt literally if not metaphorically. Good, all the workers deserve nice offices but keep in mind that this City also needs an Arts Councillor, a Department Of Ideas, a Board of Culture, an Imagination Manager and all those folks opening clubs, music halls, galleries, artist lofts, those who wish to set up shop in the Downtown should probably be directed there first.