Ahhh… summer in Sooke. It isn’t just about the glorious weather we have been experiencing, it’s about the myriad events which have taken place all across the Sooke region. From the increasingly popular Sooke Fine Arts Show, to the Sooke Philharmonic Orchestra, our choirs and musicians, to Art in the Park to the Stinking Fish Studio Tour to Shirley Day. Arts and culture play an important role in the life of this community. The very ambiance leads people to see the beauty which in turn contributes immensely to our quality of life.
All of these events point to how life and art are intertwined in our daily lives. Most of us may not have a Picasso or a Rodin sculpture gracing our home, but we do have wooden sculptured benches, historical statues to enjoy and amazing art in the galleries, music in the park and artisans at the museum’s night market. We can’t forget the wild coastal scenery and the opportunities for adventure on the waters around Sooke.
Art is one of those things which can be easily taken for granted but when it is not around, the world does become a less joyous place. Some don’t see the need for art, but it is everywhere. There is art in everything, it’s about more than fine art and music. It is also about design and balance in those things we see and use everyday. It is about the appreciation for the talents of those who try and make our world a prettier and more enjoyable place. It’s about the time spent on doing something well, whether it is fixing up an old classic car to its former glory, writing a story or growing the most amazing flowers.
Art isn’t just for a week or two in the summer, it’s something that needs to be appreciated year round. That means bums in the seats for concerts, eyes on the paintings and sculptures at art shows and participation in making this world a more beautiful place. Let’s appreciate the care and attention paid to those small and wonderful things in our neighbourhoods, those tiny often unnoticed things like a beautiful bouquet of flowers or a child’s painting on someone’s fridge. Art is what makes us cultured and open minded, happy and reflective. It’s a necessity, not a frivolity.
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Pirjo Raits is the former editor of the Sooke News Mirror.
