The last time my mom was here, visiting from Vancouver Island, she bought a pickle plate and some tiny bowls at the Canadian Clay and Glass Gallery (corner of Erb and Caroline, uptown Waterloo). She spent $72, which is a lot of money and my inheritance, (just kidding mom).
Earlier this year, the City of Waterloo gave the gallery an “emergency loan” of almost $100,000. This is not the first time we’ve had to bail out this institution. Although it is funded from several levels of government as well as generating revenue through, not only the gift shop but also its programs and its private and corporate donors, it seems to be having a hard time sustaining itself.
I like art. I’ve spent a lot of time in our local private galleries, good ones like Gallery on the Grand in Bridgeport and Gallery Double T on Regina Street, not to mention visiting museums and galleries in Ottawa, Toronto, Amsterdam and Paris. I own originals. I’d own more if I had more money. I like art, a lot. Admittedly, I prefer paintings, not sculptures. But that’s not the point. The point is “why?” Why are we using our taxpayer’s money for something we don’t enjoy.
Or maybe it’s just me. Maybe there are a lot of Waterloo residents that have never enjoyed RIM Park. I’m there three times a week, certainly getting my money’s worth.
