Like a good neighbour who’s happy to lend a cup of sugar, Sandy McCaig pops across the street from her house to artPlace whenever they need her help.
Known affectionately as “Sweet Sandy” by artsPlace staff, she has been volunteering since the art centre’s doors opened in 2015. Living up to the name, she also happens to make a mean batch of lemon tart and shortbread cookies for the artsPlace crew at Christmastime.
You can find her doing small tasks during big events or greeting and seating patrons at concerts, but mostly, you won’t miss seeing Sandy on a movie night. She’s taking tickets, she’s serving drinks, and she’s making popcorn like a one-woman concession stand. (She’s discovered a love for documentaries too!)
When she’s not busy supporting behind the scenes, Sandy joins in on classes such as painting, drawing, and ceramics, where she is a self-proclaimed glue gun artist. While she had fun canvassing for a new creative outlet, she’s since landed back in the “write” place for her: she has a list of published journal articles from working in her field but recently discovered her passion for flash fiction, as well as taking novel and memoir writing courses.
“artsPlace really is a community hub, there’s something for everybody. It’s a vibrant place to be and you feel energized when you leave there,” says Sandy. “It’s a safe space to try new things and to be creative.”
Practicing what she preaches, Sandy recently read a story aloud at Poetry Punch, an open mic night for spoken word. Word has it Sandy read one of her wild tales about her main, not so mild heroine named “Granny.” She says she draws inspiration for her stories from stranger than- fiction headlines she sees in the news. Then she creates a whole backstory, complete with dialogue and characters, starring Granny in these over the top (and sometimes topless) situations.
Moving to Canmore from Winnipeg the same year artsPlace launched to be closer to her grandchildren, Sandy is a grandma on the go herself. Newly settled into the mountains, she asked herself: “where do I want to make a life?”
Several years later, her daily routine usually involves working out and doing yoga at the seniors centre, catching up with friends over coffee or lunch, spending time with her family, and participating in Canmore/Banff Mountain Grannies as well as initiatives through her church like Food & Friends.
“You can’t sit at home all day, you have to get out, put yourself out there, and make friends. I’ve met the most fabulous people in this town, people come from everywhere.”
“It’s such an active, creative, and energetic community and it’s inspiring to be in this town. You don’t feel old, you feel like you’re participating and contributing. artsPlace is a big source of that for me. It has become an integral part of my life; I’d go there every day if I could.”
