June 1997. Stand of trees days prior to a road b: punched through to clear-cut block 72.2. eing december 1997 / planet of the arts 7 Witness Land, Justice, Community Art. Remember the civil rights movement of the 1960s? This project promises to be bigger. And it’s happening NOW. by Harald Gravelsins lot of the grief that society has been coming to is C C because people have broken the very direct connec- tion they had with landscape,” observes John Clarke. Clarke knows of what he speaks. A wilderness educa- tor, among his several remarkable feats is exploring 10,000 square kilometers of B.C.’s Coast Mountain Range. Art in our times, or a lot of it anyway, is in a sorry condition according to eloquent and insightful observers of the cultural scene. Art historian William Kuspit is one of many people offering this verdict. He pointedly asks, “Why should art be taken seriously, when it cannot alter consciousness, only put a kind of polish on it?” In a similar tone, Susi Gablik concludes that the mod- ernist conceit about the autonomy of art “has condemned art to social impo- tence by turning it into just another class of objects for marketing and con- sumption.” The land and art are two of the components of the current show at the Roundhouse — the Witness Arts Exhibition — which runs from December 18 until January 18. The Roundhouse itself is a third large component, a fact that needs explaining and warrants our careful attention if we are to appreci- ate the significance of the show. Before turning to issues relating to the land, I think saying more about art in the 1990s provides a worthwhile perspective from which to consider the accomplishments of the Witness Arts Exhibition. Tough as these times might be economically on those of us in fields of creative endeavour, the expecta- tion has never altogether disappeared that art and artists ought to go a fair distance towards addressing the collective, multiple torments in society. And to do something meaningful to redeem us from these torments. While the artistic avant-garde may have met its demise early in the last decade, the moral imperative to perform a service to society still actively inhabits the notion of art. It’s any parent’s worst nightmare, of course. Is there any shred of realism on the part of people who want to make pretty pictures for a living let alone connect this to the job of articulating and resolving the ills of the world? The politicians we employ as problem-solvers have spent the better part of the last twenty years trying to persuade us there are no mean- ingful solutions to the difficulties of living together on this planet. To convey how non-mainstream the notion of socially and historically engaged art sounds like, we need only consider the description that someone involved in this kind of art practice would offer about her or his activity. The description given to me by one such person mentions the pursuit of justice as inherent in the vocation of a truly creative person, and enumerates the fol- lowing additional requirements: “to understand history; to acknowledge one’s power; to acknowledge one’s place in contemporary society; to be hum- ble enough to learn from the mistakes that come up that people will be mak- ing honestly; and a willingness to be accountable to one’s constituencies.” Wow - that’s quite a list! And nowhere does it say anything about pretty pictures. The list was provided to me in a recent conversation by Irwin Oostindie, a visual art curator, film festival organizer, and music coordinator who has more than a decade of experience in the Vancouver and British Columbia art scenes, and linkages to numerous cultural and political campaigns and caus- es. Oostindie is an alumnus of Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design. So, how many Irwin Oostindies are out there — people trying to engage with the socially redemptive potential of art as a leading component of their artistic vocation? What shape does the art manifest that arises from their cul- tural engagements, how is it produced, and how well does it fare if the cul- tural scene is accurately characterized by the bleakness and commodification of culture noticed by writers with the astuteness of Gablik and Kuspit? These are good questions to bear in mind in assessing the Witness Arts Exhibition, particularly since Oostindie worked closely with Roundhouse arts programmer Amir Ali Alibhai in coordinating the show. The third per- son involved in programming the exhibition was the Roundhouse’s first artist-in-residence, Nancy Bleck. Bleck is a student majoring in photography at the Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design, where she currently sits on the Board of Governors. There is much at stake in the Witness Arts Exhibition beyond the aesthet- ic achievement of individual works of art. In the terms of reference set out by Kuspit and others we need to ask if the achievement of Witness is in any way a significant repudiation of the complacency, superficial stylishness, or obnoxious and hollow posturing that constitute much current art produc- tion. In more positive terms, we need to ask whether Witness gives us a prac- tical demonstration of hope manifested through culture and empowering our collective ability to make wise choices about the type of society we want to inhabit. he matter of origins is crucial to understanding the Witness project and to tracing the connection between land issues and art making. Back-tracking through the chronology of the project/exhibition reads something like what follows. During the summer and fall before it was an art show, Witness was a part- nership between the Squamish Nation and a group of conservationists who had forged a connection to the Roundhouse. The shape given to this part- nering through its link to the Roundhouse was to present a number of Squamish Nation activities at an urban community centre and to host peo- ple travelling from the city on a trek to the Sims Creek area. Sims Creek is located in the northern sector of Squamish territory, fifty-six miles from the Town of Squamish. This partnership was itself preceded by a coalition between an informal group of environmental activists — including John Clarke and Nancy Bleck — and ta-lall-SAHM-cane (Chief Bill Williams), a hereditary and elected leader of the Squamish Nation. The work done by this coalition over a six-month period resulted in the drafting of a proposal to the then newly-opened Roundhouse} a community centre with an emphasis on arts programming located next to a billion dollars ‘of highrise, residential real estate on Vancouver’s old Expo lands. The proposal bore the title “Witness” in reference to the practice of oral history among the Coast Salish peoples. It described its intention as “gather- ing together 50 native drummers, ocean-going canoes, contemporary native performers, artists, natural historians, outdoor recreationists and the general public of all ages, classes and nationalities.” The Roundhouse accepted the proposal last June. Prior to this coalition, during the summers of 1995 and 1996 the envi- ronmentalists were active in their own separate initiative to promote a pro- posal to designate four adjacent valleys and watersheds — Sims Creek, Clendenning, Elaho, and Upper Lillooet as a “protected” zone under the name, the Randy Stoltmann Wilderness Area. Their campaign to bring atten- tion to the area involved a system of car-pooling people from Vancouver to the Town of Squamish, bringing them 20 miles along a paved road and a fur- ther 33 miles along a gravel road, and escorting them onto the sandbar at Sims Creek from which they could proceed to explore the site. The justification for these expeditions, as Clarke tells it, was that “there’s no substitute for people swatting bugs, getting rained on, and reconnecting to the landscape. They are then in a position to judge for themselves what is being reported in the media (about ecology, logging and land use issues).” The significance of the Sims Creek watershed to environmentalists arises from it being one of only four pristine valleys left in the Lower Mainland region; together these valleys encompass a mere three percent of all remain- ing low-elevation, temperate rain forest in the entire province. The significance of the same watershed to International Forest Products Limited is its being part of Tree Farm License #38, of the most easy to reach stands among the province’s highly diminished stock of old growth forest. continued on hext page... June 1997 Stand of trees dys prior ta road being punched through to daar Block 722 december 1997 / planet of the arts 7 Witness Land, Justice, Community Art. Remember the civil rights movement of the 1960s? This project promises to be bigger. And it’s happening NOW. by Harald Gravelsins. Jot ofthe grief that society has been coming to ‘becase people have broken the very direct connec: tion they had with landscape,” observes John Clarke. Clarke knows of what he speaks. wilderness educa or, among his several remarkable feats is exploring 10,000 square kilometers of B.C's Coast Mountain Range ‘Artin our times ora lot oft anyway, is ina sorry condition acording to cloquent and insightful observers ofthe cultural scene. At historian Wiliam spit sone of many people offering this verdict He pointedly ask, "Why should art be taken seriously, when it cannot al consciousness, only puta kind of polish on it In a similar tone, Sasi Gabi concludes thatthe mod: érnist conceit about the autonomy of at “has condemned art to sca impo tence by turning it ito just another class of objects for marketing and con sumption, The land and art are two ofthe components of the current show at the Roundhouse ~ the Witness Arts Exhibition ~ which runs from December 18 ‘until January 18, The Roundhouse itself sa thitd lage component, a fact that needs explaining and warrants our cael attention if we aeto apps: te the significance ofthe show Before turning to issues relating tothe land, think saying more about art in the 1990s provides a worthwhile perspective from which to consider the accomplishments ofthe Witness Ars Exhibition, Tough as thes times might toe economically on thos of us in elds of creative endeavour, the expect tion has never altogether disappeared that art and artists ought to go afar distance towards addressing the collective, maliple torments in society. And to do something meaningfl to redeem us feo these torments While the artistic avantgarde may have met its demise early inthe lst Aeeade, the moral imperative to perform a service to society sill actively Inhabit the notion of als any parent’ worst nightmare, ofcourse. Isthere any shred of realism onthe pat of people who want to make pretty pictures fora living let alone connec thst the job of articulating and resolving the ills the world? The politicians we employ as problem sohvers have spent the better part ofthe lst weny years uying to persuade us there ae no mean gf solutions tothe dificult of living together on this planet. “To comey how non-mainsteam the notion of socially and historically ‘engaged art sounds like, we need only consider the description that someone involved in this kind of at practice would ofe about er or his activity. The