The Making of Signs for La Ruche d’Art Pointe-St-Charles
By Jessica Gardner
What is a sign? The Oxford Dictionary (2015) describes a sign as “an object, quality or event whose presence or occurrence indicates the probable presence or occurrence of something else…An indication of what is happening or going to happen.” In this context, a sign for an art hive could have boundless indications, as many diverse happenings have occurred, are present, or are going to happen. Having a sign for an art hive can indicate an invitation for anyone and everyone to be a part of these occurrences, to be a part of the presence that is the art hives.
We made signs for La Ruche d’Art Pointe-St-Charles.
I was a part of this “we”, initially as a student doing my service hours. But in this “we” I became a fellow artist, I became a part of a new identity, I became a part of a “we-in-solidarity,” within the public homeplace and collaboration of the art hives (Watkins & Shulman, 2008). In the past month, we-in-solidarity worked together as artists; using our skills, our tools, and our creativity, to make three signs.
La Ruche d’Art Pointe-St-Charles takes place in a shared space. This space, Salle Alexandra, acts as a community centre which is used for many different community programs, throughout the week. One of the signs we made was for Salle Alexandra. Together as artists, we salvaged a large, used, wood panel, and primed it. Together, we decided that we would use the method of mosaic. Together, all the artists who were in, or who entered the room, expressed their ideas and thoughts as they occurred. And piece by piece, we made this sign; and together, we will put it up in its place, outside of Salle Alexandra.
We also made a sign more specific for La Ruche d’Art Pointe-St-Charles. It is a portable sign that can be put out during the hours that Pointe-St-Charles is open. Open. Art hives are open spaces, accessible spaces, for the community, and for the public, to enter. This is what this sign will indicate. For this portable sign, two pieces of wood had been previously salvaged by an artist at La Ruche Place Saint-Henri. This artist shared his skills and ideas, and put together these two pieces of wood to make a sandwich board sign that was then brought to Pointe-Saint-Charles. The artists at Pointe-St-Charles then planned, painted and mosaicked this sign together.
The third sign we made for Pointe-St-Charles will remain in the interior of Salle Alexandra. We added collage items to this sign and together decided what it would say. It will be hung above an open box, and it will indicate that anyone can contribute or donate materials to La Ruche d’Art Pointe-St-Charles.
I believe that the three signs that we made only broadens, expands and transforms the “we-in-solidarity” that exists within the art hives. These signs will indicate that others can contribute to and become a part of this “we”, a “we” that is inclusive and to which anyone, and everyone, can belong.
References
Sign.(2015). In Oxford Dictionaries Online. Retrieved from http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/sign
Watkins, M. & Shulman, H. (2008). Toward psychologies of liberation. NY: Palgrave, Macmillan.
