One Carrot, Under Art |Volunteers Judy Allan (left) and Lorraine Shulba share a laugh.
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They’re fresh. They foster vision. Their roots are firmly planted. Who knew Edmonton’s arts community had so much in common with an orange, carotene-rich vegetable?
Last month, more than 200 people gathered to sing “Happy Birthday” to 118 Avenue’s community arts coffeehouse: The Carrot was turning one year old.
“The Carrot is like a fireplace,” says poet Jannie Edwards. “People naturally want to gather round it.”
Run by Arts on the Ave, the Carrot is part of the organization’s initiative to infuse the arts into the Alberta Avenue area. “The Carrot is a community rumpus room for all kinds of creative endeavours,” says the coffeehouse director, Christy Morin. “We have live music, improv, art workshops, book launches, readings, a book-writing club, and even activities for babies and kids. There’s no limit to what kind of art can be experienced here.”
With many artists now living and working in the Alberta Avenue neighbourhood, the lower housing costs of 118th have attracted these new settlers who aren’t willing to pay the skyrocketing rents of traditional art hubs like Whyte Avenue. So is 118th the next Whyte Ave?
Well, Whyte hasn’t always been the overpriced place to be seen it is today. Shirley Lowe of the Old Strathcona Business Association explains that Whyte became a centre for Edmonton’s arts community largely because rent used to be dirt cheap. “There were lots of empty storefronts,” she says. “Artists used them because rent was low and it wasn’t a popular location.” But as people started to compete for those spaces, she says, “The people who depended on almost free rent moved out.”
Today, it’s nearly impossible to find a place to rent around Whyte Ave. And if you do find one, it’ll likely take a hefty toll on your bank account. “Depending on what you want,” Lowe explains, “it can be very difficult and costly.” The result: an exodus of artists from the Whyte neighbourhood to areas like Alberta Avenue.
A seedy area?
Though 118 Avenue is forging ahead as a centre for artistic expression, the area’s grungy stigma still holds it back. And perhaps Edmontonians are justified in being intimidated at the thought of living around Alberta Avenue. “There are drunk or high people walking the streets, and there are still some prostitutes as well,” admits musician Dave Von Bieker, who moved to the 118 Ave neighbourhood three years ago. “You will see things that are not pleasant, things you wouldn’t see in a clean-cut suburban neighbourhood.”
Jannie Edwards recalls once reciting poetry outside on 118 Ave. “Across the street were cops making an arrest,” she says. “There were people down on the ground, handcuffed.”
But for sculptor Ritchie Velthuis, 118th isn’t as scary as people think. “The area’s stigma is no longer completely justified,” he says confidently, having lived there for 14 years.
And this change in reputation is largely thanks to The Carrot.
“‘There is coming a day when a single carrot freshly observed will set off a revolution’” Morin says, quoting French artist Paul Cézanne. “The arts have led to the creation of deep-rooted relationships at The Carrot that are giving the neighbourhood a boost.”
Last year, The Carrot’s grand opening seemed like a sign that Alberta Ave was overcoming its bad reputation. “We were taking back the Avenue in a way,” Von Bieker explains. “We were all saying, ‘We live here and we’re going to start being proud of that. We’re not going to be intimidated by the crime or other things that may have defined this place in the past.’”
Face to face
“The Carrot is a place for the art of connecting,” Morin says. “We’ve lost that with our Blackberries and e-mail.”
Von Bieker agrees. “There’s an authentic community forming here,” he says. “It feels like a small town when I’m on the Avenue now.”
Uniting members of the arts community is part of the Carrot’s mandate: professional artists and musicians are paid, but the coffeehouse itself is completely volunteer-run. Volunteers do everything from serving lattes to planning art events and curating exhibits. They’ve even trained one barista who is completely blind.
As it builds community, The Carrot is creating an environment where artistic expression thrives. Von Bieker credits The Carrot with helping him develop as a musician. “I get the chance to try out new material,” he says. “I’ve certainly become more confident and comfortable onstage as well.... Besides the gigs I’ve had there, I’ve met many other artists that have led to both friendships, creative inspiration and actually, to other gigs.”
“There are few venues where you can meet artists informally,” Velthuis says. “The Carrot provides artists with the opportunity to network and do fun and creative things.”
And thanks to a grant from the Edmonton Community Foundation, The Carrot now plans to hire its own manager. “It’s a huge permanent step,” Morin says. “It will help us plan projects that can flourish into the future.”
For Edmonton’s arts community, knowing that The Carrot will be sticking around is music to their ears. “Every time I go, there is someone who surprises me, some diamond in the rough who really has something special to share,” Von Bieker says. “This neighbourhood is full of people who are not willing to give up. As Bruce Cockburn put it, we’ve gotta kick at the darkness till it bleeds daylight.”
