Invite and Thank yous

In a lot of ways a visual artist has a very solitary working  life.  It is often me and the CBC radio.  I cut glass and listen to great programs from across the country. The CBC keeps me amused, in touch and sometimes unprepared.  I really  thought the liberals were going to win the federal
election.  
 
When I do a show like this I realize that is not just the CBC and me.  I realize am surrounded by a community that supports me and wants me to achieve success and  that they help in any way possible, all I have to do is ask and they are
there.
  
Be it childcare, helping me cut lumber or assisting in moving the work from point A to point B.  I have a roster of friends who I know I can count on. 
Kerry Brennan, Brett McKnight, John Boorman, Se Kohane, Brianna Foster
and of course my mother, Mary Davis.  Over the last year all of these people have helped me with one or all of the above tasks.
 
I have also been very lucky in making connections with local businesses that have given advice, their expert workmanship and patience.  I have to thank Kim and Craig Tedford of Scott Concrete in Lakefield. They have been generous both with their knowledge and expertise.
 
A big thank you also to Gord Milburn and his staff at Wm. Thompson Machine & Tool Ltd.  He also has leant me his expertise and patience. I have worked with Gord for 4 years now and it has been a great  pleasure.
 
Childcare has been one of the best things ever.  I have a great daycare provider, Shawna Monroe, she is caring, flexible and one in a million.  I thank her for taking great care of my daughter, Miller.
 
For the past couple of months I have had the pleasure of having Suzie Lewis also come out and assist me with this project.  She is a budding glass artist who will be attending Sheridan College this fall. Her assistance has been invaluable and her work ethic and enthusiasm greatly  appreciated.
 
I have also been working with Kevin Lockau, a Bancroft based artist who won the Governor General’s Award for craft in 2009.  He was my instructor at Sheridan College and has been challenging and pushing me for the last year while I have worked on the Waterway project.  His input, thoughts and feedback have
been invaluable. He also helped install the show which I totally appreciate and so does my husband, Andrew.
 
If any of you know Andrew, you know how much he supports and contributes to my career.  He supports me more than I ever imagined anyone could or would.  He works hard at his own job and is always ready to help me achieve my goals on his time off.   He often takes vacation around my shows.  It is a partnership in every way.
 
I also have to thank Sara Atkins and Dennis Carter Edmonds of  Parks Canada – the Trent Severn Waterway Division.  Sara has thrown her support behind this project and allowed me to continue the project next summer.  In 2012 I will be installing a series of sculptures at various locks throughout the waterway.  
   
Dennis Carter Edmonds took me deep into the archives of the Trent Severn Waterway and shared his passion for the waterway and its history.

I must also thank the staff of the AGP, especially Celeste Scopilites and
Carla Garnet who have also supported this project.  Without their backing and support I would not be continuing this project outside the gallery setting. 
I thank them for seeing the potential and agreeing to partner with me in
the coming year. 
  
Also Thanks the Ontario Arts Council for their support.  Without financial
backing for this exhibition and the outdoor project in 2012 my ideas could not
become a reality.  A project like this can’t happen without funding or support.  It isn’t just one person working towards a goal but a community and I am glad I have such a supportive one.
 
Lastly I have to thank anyone who has supported my work or any artist’s work, be it a novel, a movie, a play, a dance production, a comedian or a band.  Without the arts I can’t imagine the community we would live in.  The arts make us think, laugh, learn, be delighted and imagine.  I would hate to lose that in our society.