Celebration Of Joy
Online show, October 23rd, 2024
Joy MacFadyen is a name exactly synonymous with development of The Arts in Scarborough. The Existential Art Gallery of Scarborough is most proud to bring this memorial celebration of Joy’s life and artwork to our virtual gallery, a place where Joy and her artwork can be celebrated in perpetuity.
The sincerity of presentation in the very many portraits Joy rendered give her a permanent and positive place in the history of Scarborough.
Joy was literally a very joyful person full of smiles and instant wit, bringing good humour and generosity to every social occasion. It is Joy’s total commitment to The Arts that has kept cultural matters moving ahead in Scarborough for the last five decades, supporting the arts councils, leading The Art Guild, winning awards, and talking positively to politicians.
And so it is that we bring you this fine exhibition of her paintings. We think Joy would have modestly cast herself as a ‘portrait artist’ but there is no doubt from the record that she was also involved in all kinds of decorative work and cultural presentations of amateur dancing and music, not to mention her constant interest in the welfare of animals and birds.
Joy was also and excellent storyteller and writer and we have included many of these writings to accompany, or comment upon, the pieces exhibited. As many would know, Joy was a Facebook user and we have gleaned much of what we have found from that source of her expression, but she also wrote her life story and there are many friends who have also made their personal contributions.
One of Joy’s lasting wishes was that we would eventually have a substantial public gallery where artists like herself could exhibit their work and enjoy the work of the many other artists living and working in Scarborough.
We look forward to you enjoying this fine exhibition “Celebration of Joy”.
There are many photographs in this exhibition and it should be noted that close to all of them were recorded by Joy on her Facebook page. They were accompanied by equally interesting writings which we have used liberally in the comments of this exhibition.
