I am rarely compelled to write a tribute to any one person, but sometimes you have to recognize someone who has gone, to honor their life, or even just a portion of their life, now that it has ended. With the death of Sandra MacColl, I feel the need to recognize someone who has been an enthusiastic booster for the local arts community, and has made a real difference for local artists throughout the area.
The impact of MacColl was probably best expressed by the people who were featured in the Community Partners Gallery, she wasn’t merely someone who supported the work of local artists but someone who aggressively courted them to put a show together. It was a common refrain to hear people say it was MacColl who convinced them to show, even if they were reluctant, or unsure that they had work worth seeing. She was enthusiastic about what local people were doing, and she was going to show it to everyone else. If that artist was at all reluctant or unsure they were doing anything special, she’d push all the harder, as though she felt it was her mission to make sure these artists would be convinced they were making work of value, and work that was worth showing to the community as a whole.
I showed in that gallery myself at the beginning of the year, as someone who had never shown at a large scale before. I had not even planned on showing initially, I just had a file full of photos I quite liked and figured I wanted to do something other than hoard them on my hard drive where nobody would enjoy them. So I sent MacColl a link, not expecting much of it, and in return was able to actually put on a show. I made mistakes in the process, sure, but it was a huge benefit to have someone who was so enthusiastic about what I was doing, who knew the places and people I could go for help if I needed it, and the knowledge of how to sell the show that I just didn’t possess. It was a boon for someone who was doing this for the first time, and I’m sure everyone else whose first real show was at that gallery felt the same way. For a lot of us, it was the first chance to see that people wanted to look at our work.
I knew her professionally, rather than personally, so I don’t know much about her family, her past, her personal life, or anything like that. I am aware she was a teacher, and given her entire personality she was probably made for that job. Otherwise, all I know is her relationship to art, and her excitement about bringing it to everyone around her. That’s enough to know that her impact outside of the arts community was a big one, even if I didn’t ever get to experience it.
There will be a substitute for MacColl I’m sure, there will be someone else who will serve as the big booster for the local arts community. There are many people in the area who view the arts scene in the city in as high regard as MacColl did, and they will step up and attempt to fill her shoes. If they can deliver a third of the energy, enthusiasm and force of will that MacColl did, that community will be well served going into the future. If anything, she created the environment that will ensure the community will continue no matter what happens, because she did inspire others and she did make them care about the local art scene. What there won’t be is a replacement, for that is impossible.
