Guelph Mercury Editorial
Bravo for creating arts, culture post
By Renann Isaacs, curator, Alma Gallery, Guelph
Dear Editor - Re: “Need for cultural post debated” (Guelph Mercury, Dec. 19).
Hooray for Mike Salisbury and the six other councillors who voted in support of creating a much needed position for an arts and culture supervisor. I can’t believe Guelph has been without one.
I recently moved from Montreal to be closer to my parents. I chose Guelph because of its potential and because I wasn’t prepared to move back to the architecturally and culturally demolished city of Toronto, where my parents live.
Downtown Guelph is a gem waiting to be discovered.
Despite the poor placement of buses, the abundance of pubs, and the chaotic signage, the core of the city consists of stunning neighbourhoods and heritage buildings that are ideal for accommodating a beautiful community of bed and breakfasts, cafés, fine dining restaurants, boutique shopping, galleries, and anything to do with the arts in general.
Visitors from all over have admired the area and some have even contemplated moving here.
Imagine then my shock when I heard that there were still folks around like Councillors Gloria Kovach, Christine Billings and Kathleen Farrelly who referred to a proposal supporting arts and culture as “nebulous.”
Wow! How terribly Sarah Palinesque!
If a city wants to position itself for a changing world it has to attract and excite people, not make their lives dull.
Sprawling suburbs and strip malls with redundant conformity do not stimulate economies. Culture does.
Bravo to those Guelphites who have the courage to look to the future. By providing the city with an arts and culture supervisor we can facilitate the change needed to make this city an even greater going concern. Yes we can!