To the editor:

Artists are, perhaps, less frightened by change than the rest of us, or maybe it’s that they are just less resistant to it, less prone to buckle under the potential terrors of risk-taking.

Or, maybe it’s that they are more agitated by the status quo, less able to be numbed by sameness and so MUST reach for the not-yet written.

Or maybe, it has a lot to do with arts education, where curriculums are perfected in teaching that innovation is the essential attribute for tomorrow’s creators.

Whatever the reasons, it’s The Arts and The Artists, whether their word be visual, written, or performed, that so often lead us into new ways of thinking and valuing our lives.

When a village’s economic livelihood hits rock bottom and we find ourselves gripping the stark, cold fact that the community coffers are empty, who wouldn’t expect conflict? Jobs, suddenly wiped out. Decades of programs nixed in one swift, quiet moment. Years of village projects, founded on the work of thousands of community volunteers, now erased.

Sometimes grief progresses slowly, and the anger that comes along with it channels through erratic paths, resulting in curious outbursts of overly strong opinion and bitter contention.

We need to heal our town, I believe that. Bainbridge has just gone through a couple of painfully traumatic years, and it’s time to come together and open our conversations to each other, across the Island. The arts can lead the way, cultivating innovative communication pathways that reduce polarization and open our hearts to each other.

Because of all that we’ve been through, it’s time to mend and nurture our island community.

ANN WARMAN

VillageSpeak

Bainbridge Island