Video for "The Garden" by April Ann McGinnis released, directed by Amy McQuaid-England

Will McGuirk October 3, 2016

Amy McQuaid-England’s film “The Garden” will be shown as part of Film Friday at the Robert McLaughlin Gallery Oct 7, 2016 at 7:30 p.m. Singer/songwriter April McGinnis has written and performed the title track and the video for the song, culled from the film, has been released.

April Ann McGinnis' song featured in Amy McQuaid-England's film "The Garden"

Will McGuirk October 3, 2016

Amy McQuaid-England’s film “The Garden” is a look at how sustainable communities can grow using local resources. For the soundtrack McQuaid-England also sought out a local resource, the creative talents of singer/songwriter, visual artist and a former councillor April Ann McGinnis. "The Garden" will be shown as part of Film Friday at the Robert McLaughlin Gallery Oct 7, 2016 at 7:30 p.m. There will be repeat showings throughout the evening.

McGinnis, now residing in Kingston, says she wrote the song after seeing some early footage of “The Garden.”

“Having been involved in a lot of community engagement initiatives as well as poverty reduction and making the public more aware of the issues of poverty, precarious employment, insecure food and housing, I felt I could add some value with an original song. Watching her original footage brought tears to my eyes and I was strongly compelled to write something musically and lyrically for it,” she says.

McGinnis says a community garden’s gift is empowerment. Families work together, neighbours work together, trust and caring between people grows and a meaningful self-reliant community emerges from the toil.

“To me, this film plus the musical story, and the real life story of a family who benefits from the garden while struggling otherwise, is a tremendously powerful way to spread an important message,” she says. “That message includes dignity and respect for all, no matter their station in life, it is a message of hope - for our children and our ability to thrive and survive.”

LYRICS
Chorus:
We'll go to the garden and we'll plant some seeds
Seeds of tomorrow And we'll grow that we need
To raise our children so proud and strong
Cause we know at the garden everyone belongs

Verse one
Every morning we leave our homes
Return tired every night
Work our fingers to the bone
Try hard to do what's right
But the world can be a lonely place
It's getting harder to survive
So we go the garden
Where everything's alive

Verse two
As I pull the covers over you
Tuck you safely in
Kiss your forehead tenderly
I hope for tomorrow
But our hopes are growing dim
So we go to the garden
Soak in the sun
Plant some seeds for tomorrow
A new day has begun

Oshawa South End residents, Zoey, Sheila with baby Xander and Gage in "The Garden"

Amy England's debut short film takes us back to "The Garden"

Will McGuirk September 30, 2016

“The Garden”, a short film by Amy McQuaid-England, tells the story of one family and the South Patch community garden they tend to and harvest from often. The documentary will be featured at Film Fridays at the Robert McLaughlin Gallery Oct 7 2016 as part of the monthly RMG Friday.

McQuaid-England says she made the documentary to show the physical and mental health benefits neighbourhood gardens bring to families such as Sheila’s. In impoverished areas community gardens provide much needed free and fresh fruit and vegetables. Tending to the garden also provides a sense of purpose and importantly hope.

“Food insecurity exists in our neighbourhoods and access to free fresh locally grown food from neighbourhood gardens is important to building complete communities and supporting our neighbours,” says McQuaid-England.

This is McQuaid-England’s first film. She is a graduate of Seneca’s Documentary Filmmaking Institute (DFI) 2016 summer program as well as Durham College’s Print Journalism program (2008). McQuaid-England has been a Regional and City Councillor in Oshawa fro the past six years.

“The Garden” premiered at the Bloor Hot Docs Theatre in August and was recognized as a Bronze Winner at the 2016 International Film Awards.

The South Patch community garden is supported by We Grow Food, an organisation founded by Carol Vandersanden. The organization believes that everyone deserves access to free fresh locally grown food.

Everyone deserves to see McQuaid-England's “The Garden”. It’s a fresh look at Oshawa’s locally grown community building by someone not afraid to dig in and get her hands dirty.

The Only Bill Batten, Peterborough painter

Will McGuirk September 28, 2016

Whilst visiting Peterborough with a few friends we made a stop in to Catalina's on Hunter St. and met bartender Bill Batten, but also a painter, one with roots in Maynooth, Ont., in the Bancroft area near Papineau Lake, and the Arlington Hotel in that community that embraces the idea of slow living. I'm familiar with the area and the hotel.

The above painting is on his website. I like its optimism. I like the view past the door frame, I like the curtain, I like that the room has been deconstructed and reconstructed to the artist's liking. I think we need more of that reconstruction in our own lives, in our own world.

The one below is Maynooth, it hasn't been reconstructed but one can see how it could be.