Lately, as I have been introducing shows, I’ve been bringing up the importance of live performance as a social glue that keeps communities together. When you attend a show at the Marigold, you’re sitting with others across the spectrums of liberal and conservative, male and female, neurotypical and neurodivergent, financial security and insecurity, able-bodied and differently abled. And for the run of a couple hours, all of that falls behind us at the altar of performance. It’s both a reprieve and a reminder. A reprieve from the division social media constantly makes up. And a reminder that we are all riddled with the flaws and joys of the human condition.
Art—from professional to hobby, live performance to visual, and everywhere in between—keeps communities and people tied to one another. Creativity manifests not as objects or sound waves, but as the time and moments we spend together. That might be sitting at a performance at the Marigold, or a night of knitting with friends at Truro Brewing, or drinks with friends to a band at the Blunt Bartender. Imagination asks us to think beyond ourselves and engage with stories that aren’t our own. When we read novels, we see the world through new eyes. Music has the ability to change our perspective. Visual art gives us fresh colours and angles to see the world with.
And I know, this sometimes sounds cute. There’s a compulsion in the arts to constantly try to prove its worth in society. But art isn’t just leisure or a good time. It’s the third part of our lives that makes everything worth it. We work, we spend time at home, we go out to experience music, trivia, galleries, movies, theatre, and more. Take art away for one day and you’d notice everything turn grey. Our mental health craves something to look forward to. The products of our imaginations are what give us that hope.
Participating in imagination is hope. And imagination is everywhere waiting for you. It seems the world is changing a lot this month and in the coming years. It’s been changing for a long time. That’s what it does. But, our imaginations, our shared humanity—they might be forgotten sometimes, but they never go anywhere. If you need a reminder, there’s a show for that.
Be good to one another. We’re all getting this moment together, right now, all the time. Let’s make it fun.
All my best,
Marshall Feit
Executive Director
Marigold Cultural Centre