President’s Last Speech at the Annual General Meeting & Closing Party, Bobi Leutschaft Poitras
Ten years ago, almost to the day, nine artists gathered for our very first meeting in my living room. We were interested in doing … well, something.
And yet, even at that first meeting, our direction was clear: make art and give people the opportunity to see it.
And that is exactly what we did, for ten wonderful years.
I’m not going to stand here and read a list of our accomplishments. Everything is laid out on the memory table at the front, where I hope you’ll take some time to look back and reminisce. We couldn’t find copies of many of our earlier posters, but we did manage to find one from our very first show and bake sale. That was before we settled on our colours, [Secondaries:orange, purple, green. Ed.] It’s a small reminder of just how far we’ve come.
What I really want to say today is this: every one of you, and everyone who has ever been part of this collective, is what made it what it was.
There was certainly hard work involved, and plenty of thoughtful planning. But there was also laughter, wonderful conversations, shared experiences, and so many moments of triumph. We created art, we created opportunities, and we created memories. Along the way, we brought joy to one another and to so many people in our community.
The other day, I was walking through town, passing the murals we created and placed around our community. And it struck me that, even as we prepare to close this chapter, our work is still here. You can see it on the walls, in the memories people carry, and in the experiences we’ve shared.
We have left our mark. And I think that’s something we can all be proud of.
Some of us have been here since that very first meeting in my living room. Others joined us only recently. We’ve each contributed in our own way, and we’ve each been part of this story.
And regardless of when we joined, we can all look back with the same sense of pride and say, “I was part of that.”
Ten years is a remarkable achievement for any volunteer-run collective. What began with nine artists and an idea became something that reached far beyond that first living room.
As we bring this chapter to a close, I hope we don’t think of it simply as an ending. I hope we remember what we built together, the people we met, the art we shared, and the difference we made.
To everyone who gave their time, their talent, their energy, and their heart to this collective: thank you. Thank you for being part of the journey, for believing in what we were doing, and for helping make these ten years what they were.
It has been a privilege to be part of this, and an honour to have served as your president.
We may be closing the doors on the collective, but we are not closing the chapter on what we accomplished together. That will remain with us, and with our community, for years to come.
The Closing Party
An interesting buffet augmented by the gift of a lemon meringue & a pumpkin pie from a Collectif supporter; a generous bar with friendly server; a glorious memory-evoking slide show compiled by Francois Desjardins from >500 photos! These contributed to the amiable evening as folks munched, quaffed and played musical chairs to mingle & reminisce.
By Laura Peck Nussbaumer
A celebration of life
After everything has been said and done
And nothing left undone
the Collectif’s life has actually been eventful.
Full of joy!
Full of adventures!
And at times, full of explosions!
The celebration of life also was full of spectacular and generous words and food.
Le Collectif fut bien honoré durant sa Célébration de vie.
Des bons mots, des bons mets et de beaux souvenirs en image.
Les impacts du Collectif sur notre petite communauté d’artistes de Glengarry,
Petite, et immensément riches de talents et d’amitiés durablement forgées.
Maintenant… Que va-t-il se passer ?
La réponse, en chacun repose tout près de sa créativité.
Pour moi, c’est le 1er Festival Littéraire et Culinaire le 4 octobre dernier.
Puis en novembre, une expo solo à la biblio.
Et pour vous ?
