On a dark, stormy Wednesday evening, we went to Kings Theatre, ‘Arts for Life’ in Annapolis Royal. They showed three new films by ARCAC and Andrew Tolson.
- Arts at the Centre (ARTSPACE): four decades of community artistry.
- It’s all about Love: An artist profile of Ken Flett.
- The History of Us: An artist profile of Deb Kuyzk and Ray Mackie.
After the intermission, ‘Rural Renaissance: How Canada’s oldest town reinvented itself’. A 2021 documentary about Annapolis Royal in the 1970’s and 1980’s. It was spearheaded by Jane Nicholson and AIRO, with the support of film-maker Andrew Tolson and researcher, Wilfred Allen (view the documentary in post Two Used Books).
Heather and I came to COGS in Lawrencetown in 1980. The film combined personal interviews, with historical perspectives, and a focus on place, in this case, Annapolis Royal. The combination of interviews and archival footage was compelling. It included the Historical Gardens, Kings Theatre, Sinclair Inn, etc. plus interviews with Greg Kerr, Paul Buxton, Barry Moody and others.
For the first time, I was able to fully appreciate the difference between the Annapolis Region Community Arts Council (ARCAC) and ARTSPACE ( the gallery) and now ARTSEEN ( the digital presence) – an exploration of the processes, minds and concepts that ignite the work of contemporary artists and arts centres..
This mixture of personal stories, historical footage and a sense of place offers an inspirational model for other communities, and other endeavours e.g. Science for Life at COGS in Lawrencetown.
Acknowledgements
Excellent Cinematography by Andrew Tolson. Edward Wedler added the graphics and links to the blog. Heather shared the stormy drive to Annapolis Royal. Janet Larkman hosted the event at the King’s Theatre.
References
Ernest Blair Experiment 