Arbor Gallery held an official opening of its new location in Vankleek Hill on Saturday, February 15.
The gallery is now located at 103 High Street. The former location was the old Higginson House at 36 Home Avenue.
Gallery board Chair Jessica Sarrazin said the gallery is “delighted” with its new space.
The building is completely climate controlled with consistent temperature and humidity, it is completely wheelchair accessible and has lots of parking. The location on a major street also helps visitors notice the gallery as they pass through town. She said the gallery also attracts new residents to Vankleek Hill.
“I know several people made their move to town because there’s an art gallery here,” Sarrazin said.
She added that the community was supportive during the relocation process through their purchase of gallery memberships.
“We really feel like Vankleek Hill had our backs,” Sarrazin commented.
The building on High Street is owned by Gilbert and Céline Dauth. Gallery Treasurer Sylvie Bouchard said the building was conveniently available when the gallery decided to relocate.
There are two exhibition rooms at the Arbor Gallery, each reflecting significant aspects of the gallery and local art history. The Arber Room is named after the late Phil Arber, who founded the gallery in 1994. The Pemberton Smith Room is named after internationally renowned landscape and portrait artist Freda Pemberton Smith (1902-1991), who moved to Vankleek Hill in the 1960s.
The official opening of the new Arbor Gallery location was held on the same day as the vernissage for the More Love exhibition by artist Cherie Harte in the Pemberton Smith Room.
Harte is a multidisciplinary abstract artist, messenger, medium, and healer. Following in the tradition of Art Brut and inspired by social and environmental stewardship, Harte is best known for her playful exploration. Using paint, sculpture, unwanted textiles, fibre, and found objects, Harte draws on her background in psychology, yoga, and reiki to translate intimate thoughts, moments, and feelings of daily life into her works. These works act as a metaphor for life, healing, and our undeniable interconnectedness.
Harte’s work is an expression of freedom and experimentation inviting the viewer to acknowledge and honour all that is imperfectly beautiful, discarded, abused, abandoned, worthless, marginalized, and judged. Harte’s work beckons us to enter an enchanted world, a dream state, where we investigate our modern definition of love, connect with our inner selves, confront our discomforts, cultivate empathy, and surrender to the magic we were each born to be.
“My work transports me to somewhere magical. A space where social constructs and labels dissolve and all that remains is the essence of love, vulnerability, and universal connection,” Harte said.
Currently in the Arber Room, work by artists Gabrielle Artiste and Jane Macmillan is on display.
The exhibitions in both rooms continue until March 8. Arbor Gallery is located at 103 High Street in Vankleek Hill and is open from Wednesday to Saturday, from 12 pm to 4 pm.
Photos: James Morgan
