Pearson: Art brings us together at critical times

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It was a study in facial contrasts. One observer squinted his eyes in concentration, while another’s face broke into a smile as she recognized the location depicted in the painting and began recounting memories of her summers there as a child.

I was touring the Westland Gallery in Old South where my wife, Jane Roy, had some pieces on display. I became fascinated with how people were responding. The mood was one of warmth and recognition. Old friends greeted one another, while others met for the first time.

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I got the sense of a community rediscovering itself. The pandemic, so extensive in disruption, has left scars deep enough to be felt for a generation within a people no longer so sure of themselves. Many have opted to turn to painting as a means of dealing with inner doubts or turmoil. Through brushes and paint and canvas, they discover new outlets for emotional expression and mental health. And, in most cases, it works. Feelings of anxiety, isolation, and grief are worked out on canvas in a type of cathartic release.

It is likely that an entirely new generation of artists will emerge from this troubled age, and that observers will find solace and understanding in what is now being created in isolation.

This is where art galleries step up and provide a place, a sanctuary, for such works, rescuing them from obscurity. Galleries provide a safe and intimate space where the emotions and experiences of the human journey can be put on public record. Al Stewart, co-owner of Westland Gallery with his wife Karen, admits to being a “cheerleader” for such important work. “I look for such emerging artists and try to provide them the opportunity to share their talent with others,” he said. He does this by setting a place in community life, a kind of vertical table, where citizens can come and partake of collective life and growth.

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Artistry has two vital components: creation and experience. Each requires the other. When creative works are left in the shadows, communities are denied the means to connect through a common tale. They miss out on a shared vision of hope and understanding, one that asserts our current struggles can be overcome. This is the intersection where Karen and Al Stewart do their best work, just like the owners and operators of other galleries in London. They create the conditions whereby talent can be gathered, displayed, and sold.

Art galleries are community hubs where we can begin the process of rebuilding social bonds. Exhibitions and art events, whatever the size or venue, encourage dialogue, social contact, and economy. More importantly, they foster a sense of belonging, mending the social fragmentation following a lengthy period of isolation, and providing opportunities for collective reflection on what we have just endured and still confront.

It is a sad sign of the times when local governments, like London’s, cut funding for neighbourhood initiatives designed to foster a sense of pride and identity. Murals, sculptures, and community art projects effectively reflect on our shared human experience, in the process making where we live more vibrant and welcoming.

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Such initiatives provide a platform for marginalized voices, for those who have survived the pandemic experience and all the loss that came with it, and for those who have found meaningful artistic expression in how they overcame it. It is precisely in days like these that such community expression is required, frequented, and supported.

Observing the emotions moving across the faces of those at the Westland Gallery, it was obvious observers were immersing themselves in what they saw, feeling invisible bonds to those artists who had produced the works. Community rediscovers itself in such moments and recaptures hope for the future.

Karen Stewart says on visitor said of her visit to the gallery, “It’s like walking into a big hug.” London needs this now more than ever. Fortunately, we have the artists who can create it and the galleries to curate it.

Glen Pearson is co-director of the London Food Bank and a former Liberal MP for London North Centre. glen@glenpearson.ca

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