Viola Desmond Painting

In November, 1946 Viola (née Davis) Desmond was arrested for sitting in a white section in the Roseland Theatre in New Glasgow.

In March 2018 MacGillivray Law and now owner of the building called for artists to submit artwork inspired by Desmond’s act of protest. This entry was selected to become one of the paintings on the theatre’s exterior wall.

Viola spent the night alone, in jail. Sitting on a cold hard bench for hours. I can’t imagine what she was thinking but that scene resonated with me.

Viola was a stylish lady and a search of smart clothes in the late 1940’s gave me this “Stop Red and Take Notice” coat colour. The purse has a gold double V on it -- my artistic license for “Victorious Viola”. The horizontal embellishment of the purse is a stylized filmstrip. Her hair style is from a photo taken in the Chit Chat Club in Boston and is an acknowledgement to her hair dressing profession.

I believe that as individuals we should always raise the bar higher to become better citizens. Viola, you did just that – you raised the bar.