Meeting Jian Ghomeshi of CBC’s Q, and a “letter of the day!”
The following letter was read as the letter of the day, the day after Jian and the Q crew visited Calgary, in the summer of 2008. I attended the live recording and got to meet Jian, who is a hero to me, for supporting the arts in Canada.
“The local people you interviewed were talking about how great the Calgary arts scene is. I agree to an extent, but I think they were holding back. What they weren’t saying is that the reason the Calgary Arts scene is so tight and supportive is because they have to be in opposition to the rest of the city. Funding is one issue, but I think there is more to it. There is a good group of people in Calgary doing all they can to “support” the arts, by buying season tickets to the CPO, or theater calgary. But even full houses at every concert is not a rich arts and culture scene. I live in a suburb of Calgary called Rundle that has a large population of immigrants. Where are the drums on the street? Where are the latin dances in the community halls? Where are the swing dances? the live music? the art shows? the jazz festivals in the community parks? We have the people, the skill, and definitely the money….sadly, we don’t seem to have the spirit. Calgary has a long way to go to rival other major arts centers in Canada. I hope that the challenge is taken up, and we really make the sacrifices and effort needed to make Arts not just a season ticket, but a way of life.”
