Sustainability is arguably the most important issue of our times. Everything that we hold dear to us, and in fact our very lives themselves, are dependent upon the sustainability of our planet.

Sustainability is the capacity to endure into the future. Its most widely quoted definition is "meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." (Bruntland Report, the United Nations, 1987.) Environmental, economic, and social considerations form the three pillars of Sustainability. Without all three working in tandem, there is little hope for achieving its critical goals.

I can't think of a more encompassing and urgent topic to launch The Assembly, the Alternator Centre for Contemporary Art's new, online exhibition series. So many artists are concerned with one or more of these topics. Whether it be about climate change and environmental issues, economic equity, social rights, or how some specific examples of these affect each other, such diverse issues come together to spell out Sustainability.

Over the past two years, we have all felt the restrictions imposed upon us by the pandemic. For artists, the loss of community and a sense of isolation have been large factors. Through The Assembly, the Alternator Centre for Contemporary Art provides a platform for our members to reconnect, and to collectively extend our reach beyond our region, to a provincial, national and international community. 

Fern Helfand
President • Okanagan Artists Alternative Association