At the Culture Map Reveal by me
The City of Windsor's Cultural Affairs
Department has just released an interactive map of Windsor's
“tangible” cultural resources, a commendable effort to promote a
city that truly does have a thriving creative scene in my anecdotal,
humble opinion. You can plot a route through the bricks and mortar,
the acrylic and watercolour, the ink and coffee beans of Windsor's
culture. The things you can stand back and look at and discuss, but
not touch. The stuff you can touch and take a picture of your kids
riding (think metal elephants). The things you can ingest, or listen
to while yelling at your friend over a beer. The different search
options of the map, its interactive “living” nature, and the
ability to communicate it (by printing it off) to others really is a
fantastic concept, and I look forward to see how it evolves.
I think there is some recognition that
tangible cannot be separated from intangible, especially when we are
discussing culture. It is commendable than that the same department
has another initiative, called the “intangible resources,” or
“community stories,” of Windsor's culture. Gathering together all
the submitted stories they have created a top ten list of the most
common narrative themes that come together to make Windsor what it
is. The following is the list, and they (and the map) are accessible
on the Cultural Affairs Department website:
1. Hiram Walker 2. Underground Railroad
3. Automotive Industry 4. Cultural Diversity 5. Live Music 6. Natural
Heritage 7. Performing Arts 8. Border City 9. Settlement and
Diversity 10. War of 1812
Each presents some photos and a written
narrative of the intangible resource and its relation to Windsor.
Each of these can be tied to a
“tangible resource.” You can take a tour and even get married at
Hiram Walker. Cultural centres and the North American Black
Historical museum in Amherstburg can enlighten you about the
Underground Railroad, and how that history has shaped who we are. You
can literally sit in the ongoing history of the automotive industry
in Windsor and drive around the neighbourhoods that have been tied to
the highs and lows of the Big 3. These bricks and mortar would not
have achieved the level of importance they have without the wealth of
community stories and experiences that have been written and told
within and without those spaces. There was a story before the
foundation was laid; there was a story of the first day and the
trials and tribulations of the formative years; there was a story of
every person who walked into that space, or who created a work to
hang on its walls, or who learned a song to dance to or perform, or …
Well you get the idea.
My perspective by me
Those are the stories I am interested
in. I appreciate the 250 to 300 words, 4 high resolution photos, and
captions for the photos that are involved in submitting to the
Cultural Affairs Department. However, this process is just one aspect
of the story. There are so, so many stories out there that have not
been mashed together to create a general history of the building or
the phenomenon. There are the individual stories that really become
personal to us, the audience, the members of the community. Maybe it
was the owner who, nerves frayed on opening night, had one glass of
wine too many and … Or, hands full of used books, you collided with
the person who would become everything to you, and … It could have
been that story, that poem, that changed your perspective of Windsor
– Essex, the filter through which you see the city. Maybe it was
stepping on the same tile that your great-grandmother crossed over on
her way to …
It is daunting. These stories really
are infinite in a loose sense of the word. To collect these stories
would be impossible. My interest, however, is in hearing them. Having
them touch us for a time, and let them pass on as we hear more
stories that will give us a richer relationship with the place we
live in. My invitation is for people to share them with me, under the
Essex Masque, so that they can be shared with others. Your stories
are important, and make for a stronger and healthier community.
Contact me via email if you are interested in sharing and we can
figure out how you want to tell it. “Like” the page on Facebook,
follow on Twitter, and visit at the blog for updates, and hopefully
share in the narrative that is Windsor – Essex.
Twitter: @EssexMasque
Also, here is the link to the Cultural
Affairs Department for the tangibles and intangibles:
Ghost Ship on the Detroit by me
