Friday, September 24, 2021

The Importance of ART Galleries and the rise of Third Space thinking

This week we've been thinking a lot about the role of galleries and how they fit within our communities. Galleries are more than just a building whose walls are adorned with beautiful art.  Galleries range from public institutions (museums), to larger commercial spaces (auction houses), to small local retail businesses and even artist studios.


 


 Galleries connect artists with not only collectors but to all walks of life.Galleries also serve as a creative hub that fosters other artistic pursuits, inspires, and also educates!


The idea of a "Third Space" is relatively new one, but has always existed in some capacity.  It is defined as a familiar location often frequented by users outside of Home and Work.  Traditionally, these are often identified as bars, gyms and cafes.  These are often safe spaces that help us find ourselves.  Locales that add value to our everyday lives, and ones that fulfill a need we struggle to find in other places.  Third Spaces much like Galleries connect us with others that share similar passions and interests.



 One of the amazing things about our gallery is the role we play in our community. We provide a welcoming space for people to pop in and enjoy the work of our artists. While we rely on the financial support of our patrons (for which we are ever grateful), the only thing we ask is that people show up and engage with the Art whether in person (or online).

 

We've been fortunate to offer a variety of events beyond the traditional exhibition programming you may associate with us.  From Artist led workshops, to musical performances, we even have a book launch this weekend! 

Take a listen to the live performance from last Saturday outside the gallery....so beautiful and such a juxtapostiion to the city streetscape. 

We also enjoy collaborating with other groups and organizations like Nocturne (October 13-16), which we look forward to every year.  We love the way Nocturne brings people together, and what it means for our artists.  What started as a grassroots project has turned into a major art event for the city, drawing thousands of people, some of whom have never visited a gallery before!




Covid has had a huge impact on galleries and the way we do business.  Each week we're faced with new challenges on how to best serve the needs our our community.  Sometimes a third space comes in the form of social media.  We're grateful to our many followers who continue to support and engage with us online on our various social media platforms of FACEBOOK, TWITTER and INSTAGRAM, as well as our weekly newsletter filled with the latest works and upcoming show info!


Our gallery is about building relationships, creating memorable experiences, and promoting a positive environment for our visitors.  We just launched an ART TOUR, that is a great way to learn about local art while hiking around the city with others that love art too...and our tour ends with chocolate. You should come along soon- our last tour will be on October 19th! Ticket info is HERE. 

We're passionate about supporting our artists and inspiring future ones.  We'd like to think of our gallery as a welcoming Third Space for you..something familiar that will have you coming back for more!


 

 


Tuesday, September 21, 2021

Unconventional Daughters and Uncommon Sons at an Unconventional Gallery on a Lovely Saturday Afternoon

We are delighted to be hosting events again...carefully starting to creep back to new normal. Although there are still restrictions in place we are able to have fun and encourage you to do the same in our safe gallery space next Saturday, September 25th in the afternoon between 2pm-4pm. We will be hosting a book signing and reading with author Bruce Bishop.

His two Nova Scotia-themed novels of historical fiction are a delight and will fit in nicely with our surroundings of  local business with a focus on architecture and community in our small city.  


 

We asked Bruce to write a few words about his books. Enjoy below!

Unconventional Daughters and Uncommon Sons are novels about adults who live in Nova Scotia within the first four decades of the twentieth century. They’re unusual people, and defy the societal mores of the day, but that’s what makes them unique and appealing, especially to today’s Canadian readers  looking for an escape into the past.

Unconventional Daughters, primarily set in Yarmouth and southern Sweden from 1900 to 1935, could best be described as a family saga centered around four unorthodox women, their partners, and their children. It was inspired by a true incident that occurred in 1927: a young woman of the privileged class married her stepfather with her controlling mother’s consent. You can imagine how well this would have been received in a small Maritime town following World War I. Major drama ensues, shall we say!

Uncommon Sons picks up in some ways where the ‘Daughters’ leaves off. The main character, Eva, returns in this interlinked novel, but a minor character from the first book, Marc, becomes the lead character in the second. Once again, the theme of being ostracized by ‘polite’ society comes into focus. It’s set in Halifax in 1935. Marc is a first generation Canadian of Lebanese descent who happens to be gay in an era when the term ‘homosexual’ was barely uttered. When two suspicious deaths happen where he works, his married love interest is implicated. Marc’s closeted world is threatened to be exposed leading to banishment from his family and possible prison time.

 I hope to see you at Argyle Fine Art from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 25. I will be selling signed paperback copies of the novels at $25 each (tax included) – cash, cheque or Interac bank transfer.:-)



Friday, September 17, 2021

FIN- Atlantic International Film Festival ART STAR!

 Horray!  If you are a film lover, you'll be happy to know that  FIN is happening again this year! In fact there are only a few more days to enjoy amazing local and international film either in person or online, so make sure to check that out and continue to support local artists and culture any way you can! 

Although we aren't showing films at the gallery, we do have an art star named CRAIG GUNN that is not only a visual artist showing at our gallery, but is the poster boy of FIN this year, along with another friend of our gallery (Hi Rena!)


We love the funny advertisement too! Check it out by clicking HERE or below!

 


 Although when Craig is acting, writing or producing- his style tends to take on a dark humour slant as you can see at his demo reel here, his visual art takes us to a place of calm and retreat away from it all. 

His most recent paintings now on display, feature the beautiful Chester, Nova Scotia (shown below). Have you checked out this view in person yet? If not, make sure to take a road trip to the South Shore, while the weather is divine!

Craig Gunn, "Chester Sailboats from the Beach", 11" x 14", Oil on Board

Craig Gunn, Summer Day in Chester, 11" x 14", Oil on Board (framed)

Another favourite place for Craig to unwind and create in the South Shore is near LaHave- including the popular Rissers Beach and the picturesque village of Petite Rivere.


Craig Gunn, Rissers Beach Evening Walk 1, 18" x 24", oil on board

 
Craig Gunn, Petite River at Rissers Beach, 18" x 24", oil on canvas

Make sure to take in all the views at our gallery in Halifax too- 

and thank you for supporting local art and culture!

Craig Gunn, Halifax Harbour Ferries, Oil on Canvas,24" x 36"