For so many of us, the past 18 months has included great hardship. The stress of imperfect information, the rollercoaster ride of the pandemic waves, the inability to spend in person time with friends and family and, for many, severe financial hardship. Just as we seem to be getting past the worst of it and we are starting to reopen, there is hope. As of this writing, 88% of eligible Canadians have received at least their first dose of an approved vaccine. For me personally, I have had the great fortune to join the OAF just as the darkest Covid-19 days seem to be behind us.
In the past few weeks, I have had the wonderful opportunity of attending a few arts events. While gaining admittance was reminiscent of boarding an airplane, and the capacities were dramatically reduced, it was delightful to be able participate in person rather than on a screen. I have been awed by the ability of these groups to pick up where they left off – seemingly without any impact from the long break.
While we can see the light at the end of the tunnel getting brighter, there is still much to deal with. We don’t know quite what a “new normal” might look like and there is a lot of lost ground to try and cover. In times like these, art, is all its forms, is more important than ever. We need to life our spirits, expand our horizons, and come together again as family, friends, neighbours and as communities. We have a lot of work to do! I’m pleased to be able to play a role in this community and I look forward to working with you.