from now on...

i just found this letter of support that i wrote when little mountain gallery was facing a very serious threat of being shut down in 2010.  i thought i would share it because it is just such a lovely place and i’m glad it’s still going strong.

To Whom It Should Concern:

I grew up in the suburbs of Vancouver, where most teenagers hung out behind the 7-11 and vandalized local businesses for lack of anything better to do.  My best friend and I would sit outside of an elementary school with an acoustic guitar and write songs, and sing them quietly, so long as nobody else was around.  We could only dream that one day we might find a place, an actual space, where people could come to express themselves, to share their dreams, to encourage and help each other flourish, as part of a community, as artists: a place like Little Mountain Gallery.

I found a home, a family and a community in Vancouver, and if there were a place I would call home rather than the place I lay my head at night, it would be Little Mountain Gallery.  In the past four years, I have celebrated countless beautiful evenings, and have created some amazing bonds and memories with the people who have shared those moments with me in that space.  In the past year, I’ve celebrated both Christmas and my birthday at Little Mountain.  My four-year old niece and my sixty-six year old father both came to the gallery, and nobody felt out of place, because it is an inclusive and celebratory space.  We’ve had fundraisers for friends’ families going through hard times; we’ve had record release shows, tour send-off and tour welcoming shows there.  Little Mountain is a perfect little hub of creativity, inclusivity, and it is a place that keeps hope and dreams alive in our resilient community of artists, and those who support the arts.

Of course, my personal memories and attachments to this space mean little in the face of the legal and business matters that constantly threaten our dear community.  We catch wind of legal issues, or complaints from grouchy neighbours here and there, but the venue keeps chugging along thanks to a hardworking team of committed citizens who have poured their hearts and souls into this wonderful space, despite all the obstacles they constantly face.  Very few of us who have come to know and love Little Mountain really see all the work that goes into running this space, but it’s clear that it is a labour of love, and that those who run it do so because it is a necessity, a much-needed space that fills a void that this city runs the risk of re-opening if they shut this space down.

Vancouver is a beautiful city with an incredibly diverse and abundant well of talent, with fewer and fewer places for this talent to thrive.  If places like Little Mountain cannot exist within this city because of zoning laws and permits, the laws need to change.  I dread the day when this city’s streets are lined solely with multi-billion dollar condo developments and chain restaurants because we ran out of space for creativity and beauty.  Little Mountain is just that: beautiful and creative, and it is the epitome of what Vancouver could and should be, if only we would work together, citizens and lawmakers.  

Please help us to keep this positive and much-needed space open and available, and keep this community as vibrant and diverse as it should be.

Sincerely,

Adrienne LaBelle