Art galleries, live theatres, museums, symphonies, opera, ballet, modern dance and other displays and performances contribute to the culture and livability of our city.

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They can’t display only paintings of quarter horses drinking from mountain lakes or black-velvets of dogs playing pool.

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I get why places like the Art Gallery of Alberta (AGA) are controversial, especially for residents who never visit, yet are called upon to fund such places through their taxes.

Too much of what passes for art these days is meant to shock or even offend rather than uplift or thought-provoke. That can make many artworks unapproachable to the average visitor to a gallery, who then wonders why he or she has to pay to keep such places open.

However, while I would not put it as melodramatically as Adrienne Stewart, the co-chair of Women for the AGA (WAGA) did, I would agree with her recent statement that, “I don’t want to live in a city that doesn’t have a........

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