Guest blog: The Utne Salon: Still going After all these years

Shannon Lee Mannion wrote today’s guest blog post. She’s the former Auto-Biography columnist with the Ottawa Citizen, and currently she’s an urban pop artist who uses discarded computer keyboards as her canvas. She is also a

squirrel rescuer

.

**

**

Book clubs, quilting bees and men's groups come  and go but one meeting has endured for almost two decades: the Utne  Salon. (Utne rhymes with chutney.)

This particular Salon was started 18 years ago in  Ottawa in response to an article in the
[
 Utne Reader
](http://www.utne.com/)
magazine when Eric Utne,  progenitor of the magazine, posited that there wasn't enough personal discourse.  He felt that people were spending too much time watching television or otherwise  entertaining themselves to death and not conversing. In effect, more discussion  was needed, more thought given to what was happening in our lives.

He fashioned his Utne Salons after the French  Salons of the 17

 th

century, a movement started by women who sought to  mitigate what they saw as coarse and barbaric aristocratic behaviour. They  championed the notion of the
_
 honnete homme,
_

 the man of integrity, culture, wit and  cleverness.

Long-standing member, Andrew Drake, notes that the Ottawa Salon is  non-structured, in that there isn't an executive, per se, but he has acted as a  pro tem moderator since almost the beginning.

He  echos Eric Utne's stance:  “There are plenty of one-way communication  media out there already, and we feel that the Salon is a precious, rare  opportunity to meet with other live human beings and share our thoughts with  each other, face-to-face."

Over  the years, the group has met in church basements and various community centres.  Currently, the third  Tuesday of each month sees a cadre of the 100 or so members, usually 10 to 15  people on the third Monday of each month, get together at the McNabb Community  Centre, 7:30 to 9:30 pm.

Discussion topics range from politics, economics, arts and culture to  science, social justice and philosophy. It is ideas that are discussed and not  personalities or personal problems. The Salon is not a self-help group although,  from time-to-time, topics of a more personal approach have been introduced. For  instance, one such topic from a few years back, “Whom do you most respect and  why?” gave people a chance to personalize the discussion.

One memorable “art appreciation” evening saw members bring a piece of art  that they had either made themselves or which they particularly liked. Items  ranged from sculpture, paintings, photographs and poetry. One person sang a  song.

Some ideas for topics arise from the Utne Reader while others are suggested  by members and some come from current events.

More information about the Utne Salon in Ottawa is available from  Andrew at 613-948-0584.

** Related: ** Ottawa Arts Guide