Having started this blog some two and a half years ago without much of a plan in mind, I’ve found myself covering a fairly sporadic mix of issues that arise from being a proud Hamiltonian with a vested interest in the artistic potential of this city. Politics, places and personalities all have their role in this expanding narrative, and while I have attempted to touch upon all three at varying times, I’m even happier to see that three local blogs have very recently entered into the fray with a far more specialized optic than I’ve ever wielded in this space.

Beaux Mondes is the newest of the batch but has been exquisite so far in its in-depth look at some of the small businesses that are making Hamilton - and James Street North in particular - a much better and quirkier place. Each post has been lavishly illustrated with lovely photographs of the architectural and artistic details that make places like The Brain (above) truly shine, and I envy admire the minimal amount of writing needed to back up all that beauty.

Also sharply attuned to the pace of civic improvement is Matt Jelly and his new home on the blogosphere. As founder of the By-Law Crawl, this artist/designer/musician is well versed in the byzantine bureaucracies that underpin Hamilton’s successes and failures as a city, and is therefore able to speak to urban revitalization with considerably more knowledge than I ever could.

Which leaves me at even greater liberty to claw into my chosen contemporary arts niche, though I’m more than happy to welcome Hamilton Makes Art to the conversation with her regular profiles of artists, designers and craftspeople active in our region. Her enviable admirable formula of short interviews has reintroduced me to names I already know and love even while bringing my attention to others who were new to me. So I entirely blame her for making me lust hopelessly after a Roger Wood clock I will never be able to afford, but on the upside her blog is on its way to being a very valuable archive of our region’s artists.

(Endnote: I mean this clock right here… y’know, if anyone’s feeling generous…)

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