Saskatchewan poet, Stephen Scriver, said about Saskatchewan, “The only culture is agriculture and Art is just the guy who runs the elevator.” This is a statement that I have very much agreed with more than sometimes. However, while Scriver’s statement may ring true at times (especially in small town Saskatchewan) it was proven wrong this weekend in Saltcoats at Hanna Farquharson’s art show, Gaia Symphony.
The walls of the Saltcoats Town Hall were lined with Hanna’s impressive array of textile art, each piece reflecting the beauty found in simplicity; a beauty that we often take for granted here in Saskatchewan. It was also a beauty impossible to ignore when surrounded by Hanna’s art work. Each piece reflected the simplicity found in the Saskatchewan landscape, giving people the opportunity to look at our land with fresh eyes and a new appreciation of the beauty that is always around us.
This beauty was also expressed in the events of the weekend. The Meditative Deep Listening Performance by Jeffrey David Morton and Hanna gave attendees an opportunity to have an experience that has become very rare in our lives: sitting quietly with our own thoughts. In today’s world we are surrounded by constant stimulation and our busy lifestyles mean that we always have things to do and places to be. We forget to take a moment and be present and still, to be at peace with everything that is rather than dwelling on what was or stressing about what might be. Those who took part in the meditation witnessed the way the essence of life, which can feel complex and overwhelming, can be reduced to this simple and life-bringing beauty.
The yoga sessions with Allyson Beynon brought to participants the simple beauty of moving, breathing and the mind-body connection. People often underestimate the cathartic power of physical exercise and movement and being in touch with the capabilities of our bodies. We carry so much stress and tension from our lives in our bodies and in order to truly release this stress and tension we have to not only engage our minds but our bodies as well.
In the Jingle Dress Dance by Celeste Shannacappo, people witnessed the beauty of individual and cultural expression through dance and celebration. Her sister, Shaunté, explained the dance and the importance of it. It was unspeakably refreshing to watch Celeste dance and share her culture. Throughout the evening we also learned a little bit about the Indigenous culture which has been so unjustly persecuted and oppressed not only in our country’s past but in the present day as well. We had a taste of the deep spirituality of the Indigenous culture and participated in an ending group dance that is in essence a dance of friendship and oneness, connecting us again to the simplified essence of life that connects us all.
So, in a weekend full of art and expression largely inspired by and reflective of the simple beauty found in the prairies, it can safely be said that we have a wide variety of cultural experiences and art lives all around us.
By: Jessica Farquharson