Re: Mass Artistic Exodus? Julie Bevan and Anthea Black, August 6-August 12, 2009.

Once again, a very thought-provoking cover story. Ever heard of the phrase: “Bright lights, big city?” How about: “Go big or go home?” What about (in the arts): “You can’t make a living, but you can make a killing?” Artists are extraordinary people and extraordinary people want to live, and work and create, in extraordinary places.

Calgary is a nice city; heck it’s a great city, for the ordinary person. But it’s not Vancouver, Los Angeles, New York or even Toronto. Calgary is not a big city, though it may have bright lights. Calgary is a place where people leave for bigger cities, unless they’ve come from a smaller city, town, village or hamlet. Calgary is a medium-sized city and although one of the best of the ordinary, nevertheless ordinary. It is also conservative, so the prevailing attitude is “make it on your own without tax-payer funding.”

There are no other reasons why an artist, a painter, a musician, an actor, whatever, desires to pick up and be famous elsewhere other than Calgary is not “the big top.” Of course, you can still be famous in Calgary, but one can’t even really use the phrase, “famous in Calgary” without realizing how small-town it sounds, despite our million-person status.

The best thing we can do is recognize who is ready to blow this popsicle stand, or at least who has the potential to, and celebrate them while they are still here. But to whine and complain about them leaving is why they are leaving in the first place.

DAVID J. STILL,

CALGARY