A group of Orillians is hoping the younger generation will take up the mantle to continue using the arts to push for peace.
Lorna Bolden and Lisa Gillette were at the Orillia Farmers’ Market Saturday talking to people about the Arts for Peace Festival that started more than three decades ago.
“This year, there’s no festival,” said Bolden. “We’ve decided it can’t be a one-man show. It should be a group effort.”
That’s why the two said the old committee is looking to hand over the responsibility to a younger generation.
“We’re here to help them through the first couple of years,” said Bolden, adding she believes young people could likely leverage the power of social media to run the event in less time it took them.
The festival, held each summer at the Leacock Museum, featured local community organizations that were working towards peace in some way. It was an event which families could attend with their kids, who could create crafts, sing, and dance.
The world is a mess, lamented Gillette.
“It’s very important to express our yearning for peace,” said Bolden, agreeing with her friend. “And the arts are the perfect medium and we want to keep that up and running.”
But if a younger more involved and energetic group doesn’t come together, said Gillette, there will be no Arts for Peace Festival next year.
“I think they would feel wonderful if they were part of creating peace in the community,” said Bolden. “(Peace) goes from the individual to the family to the community and to the world.”
Gillete and Bolden can be reached through their Arts for Peace Orillia Facebook page (facebook.com/ArtsForPeaceOrillia/).
