Shining light on Durham’s up and coming artists

By Joel Wittnebel/The Oshawa Express

Like many of the artists who use the space, the Robert McLaughlin Gallery (RMG) created something from nothing when it opened Gallery A last year.

Housed in the newly renovated lower floor of the RMG, the Gallery A initiative is an opportunity for emerging local artists to not only showcase their work, but also use an artist-in-residence space that allows them to work in the gallery and interact with the public.

“It’s great for the artists and it’s great for the community or the public walking through because they get to sort of peek behind the curtain and get an understanding of that process,” says Donna Raetsen-Kemp, RMG’s CEO.

Gallery A showcased nine solo shows and five group exhibitions in 2015 following an open call for applications. This year, the space has 14 solo shows and three groups on tap, with number of applications nearly double that from last year.

And the space is never the same from week to week.

With everything from juried high school art shows to a tribute to Jackson Pollock, Gallery A allows the RMG to not only to help artists in the community, but also bring in new visitors and  surprise the regulars.

“It means there’s always something new in the gallery,” says Sam Mogelonsky, the RMG’s manager of marketing and communications.

“It’s kind of allowing us to be able to get different things in here on a much more frequent basis than travelling exhibitions, which I think is really great to show a big range of art that we otherwise wouldn’t have been able to show.”

Unique to Durham Region, Gallery A allows the artist to use gallery space in any way they choose. Sometimes, things don’t quite work out, but that’s a chance the RMG is willing to take.

“We’re willing to take that risk if someone comes to us and says, ‘I have this great idea,’ and we’re willing to provide them with the space to try and make that idea happen, and we’re OK if it flops,” she says.

More than anything, the RMG’s philosophy for Gallery A, as well as the associated Art Lab, is a focus on the local community. Funded by the Aked endowment – a generous donation from Aleen Aked, who passed away in 2003 – the project looks to highlight local art, something that sets it apart from similar projects at other galleries.

“The distinguishing factor is it’s a space for the community and some of these programs, the goal is to bring in other artists from outside the community to work with your collection or work within your space, but the goal of Gallery A is to bring artists from within the community and shine more focus on them,” Mogelonsky says.

The gallery also partners with several community organizations including Durham College, local primary and secondary schools and the Oshawa Senior Citizens Centre.

It was something the region was lacking in years past. A 2013 survey of more than 100 local artists done by the RMG found that a large majority (90 per cent) felt opportunities for young, local artists were lacking in the community.

Now, interest in Gallery A is skyrocketing and the artists are rejoicing.

“We’re hearing all the time that it’s filling that need, that people want that kind of opportunity for professional development, they want to participate in the RMG’s programs,” says Leslie Menagh, manager of public programs and ArtReach at the RMG.

Currently showcased at Gallery A is  an Art Lab exhibition from Ruth Read entitled 9 Empty Rooms, which will fill the space until May 29.

For more information on Gallery A, visit rmg.on.ca