Lincoln Street in Lunenburg, locally known as “Gallery Row”, welcomed a new artist-run gallery in April. Gallery on Lincoln, a contemporary fine art gallery owned and operated by 11 respected Nova Scotian artist-entrepreneurs, officially opened its doors on April 3.
This cooperatively run gallery is offering a chance for these artists, many who are emerging in their careers, to have access to a prime spot on a wall in a town famous for its galleries.
The idea came together quickly last fall when the longtime owners of Smith & Smith Gallery announced their retirement. Three artists whose work had been displayed there decided they wanted to maintain a presence in the space — and make it their own.
Through discussions with other galleries in Lunenburg, Paulette Melanson (now President of Gallery on Lincoln) and her fellow artists landed on forming a cooperative gallery.
So why a cooperative? For Melanson and other gallery members, the answer lies in creative freedom, mutual support, and ownership.
“The benefit is that you have control over what happens. You have a say as to how it’s run, and you get 100% of what you sell back. The gallery is not here to make money. The gallery is just here to let us [each] be our own individual entrepreneurs,” she says.
The gallery offers emerging artists a rare opportunity: access to a high-profile space in a celebrated arts destination and the chance to learn from more experienced members. Among the 11 founding artists are those with decades of experience in fine art, as well as in marketing, banking, logistics and web design. That pool of professional skills has helped them build the business from the ground up.
Each artist was originally selected by a screening committee that determined which artists would be a part of the gallery’s origins. Going forward, the coop’s membership will determine the selection process for new artists.
The diversity of skill sets extends to the diversity of art on display at the gallery. Each artist’s works aren’t relegated to a single wall or section, but are seamlessly woven together to form a cohesive gallery experience. The space comes together with a dynamic collection of contemporary landscape, figurative, still life, and abstract works, many of which seem to be influenced by the beauty of Nova Scotia.
Those wanting to pop in to see the art can stop in during opening hours, Wednesday–Sunday, 11am–5pm or during Lunenburg’s Art Walks on the first Friday of every month this summer.
Melanson is clearly already proud of what the gallery and its artists have accomplished. “Sometimes, if you want to be in a gallery, you have to make it happen.”
