To the Editor,
My wife Diane and I had a delightful opportunity to visit with dozens of local artists who took part in the Days With the Arts in Port Alberni last weekend. The event was a self-guided tour of art studios and community venues in which about 100 local artists had their work on display.
It was exciting not only to see this diverse display of local art, but to talk to the artists about their work and to purchase some of it. At one point I said to my wife that it felt like we were on holidays.
The weekend event was not only fun, the experience was encouraging and uplifting.
So many new artists are choosing to make their home in the Alberni Valley. We have seen what has happened in other communities when “the artists move in.”
Indeed, increasingly across North America, the importance of the arts to all aspects of community building is being recognized.
Economist John Kenneth Galbraith wrote “Those communities that are richest in their artistic tradition are also those that are the most progressive in their economic performance and most resilient and secure in their economic structure.”
We are thrilled with every one of the art purchases we made but we also have a positive feeling that the purchases we made were an investment in our community. I want to thank everyone who contributed to making the Days With the Arts such a success. Especially, I want to thank all the artists for their participation and for making Port Alberni their home.
John Mayba,
Port Alberni