SUBMITTED BY ARTSPRING
Collaboration is about making connections. Almost two years ago Cicela Månsson approached Margaret Day with the idea of curating a show for ArtSpring and she was very grateful that Day agreed to take it on.
The result is an exhibit called Collaborations in a Time of COVID: Writers and Artists of Salt Spring Island. Day, for many years the creative force behind The Point Gallery, conceived of a project that would combine the talents of Salt Spring writers and artists in collaboration. Her proposal was to pair visual artists and writers to produce coordinated works. Day was pleasantly surprised at the enthusiasm with which her invitation was received. Each artist’s partner knew of the other’s work but they didn’t all know each other in person.
At that time there was no way to know just how restricted our way of life would become, and by mid-March the idea had suddenly became more complicated. By the end of April, however, the artists and writers were rising to the challenge, looking forward to an exhibit in October.
Any collaboration between two different disciplines forces participants to consider each other’s perspective, opening up boundaries, exposing the creators to risk, and forcing them to step outside their comfort zone.
Ultimately, the viewer becomes the third participant in each project. The effect of the multi-disciplinary collaboration is to integrate the viewer into a unique experience.
To get a fuller sense of Day’s fascinating thinking about this project, her curatorial approach, and the artists and writers involved, visit artspring.ca/collaborations.
Collaborations runs from Oct. 16 to Nov. 1. Hours are 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays, and 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Sundays.
Additional to the gallery show are three, hour-long Sunday afternoon dialogues in the theatre on Oct. 18, Oct. 25 and Nov. 1 at 3 p.m. The events are free but seats must be reserved ahead of time.