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E-News Article - Gallery Connexion
PRESS RELEASE - June 9, 2009 - GALLERY CONNEXION FINDS A HOME
One year after the flood of 2008, the Board of Directors is both relieved and ecstatic to announce that finally, after looking at over 50 venues, a new space for Gallery Connexion has been secured thanks to the vision and sponsorship of Brian Johnson, co-owner of Kingswood
Gallery Connexion will move into the ground floor of the Chestnut Complex at 470 York Street in Fredericton and be bigger and better than ever with approximately 4,000 square feet of space to turn into galleries, affordable artist studios and/or offices, a performance area and a café . The building itself has an immense amount of history and character. Originally the Chestnut Canoe Factory, and following that the Chestnut Night Club, it will now be converted into Gallery Connexion but will retain traces of its past. What was the dance floor of the club will now be Connexion’s main gallery with the original factory stonewalls running throughout.
The area itself is a historic part of Fredericton given the rail lanes that used to go through there. The train station sits deteriorating, but the people of Fredericton hope that something will be done soon to rescue this wonderful building from its current regrettable state. The Hart Shoe Factory has been turned into beautiful and affordable apartments yet the exterior maintains the marks and signage of its past. The Board of Directors is excited about the prospect of bringing extra life to this part of Fredericton.
When the board first met with Brian Johnson in the Chestnut to consider the space he said ‘This is a perfect space for the gallery and we can make it work and we can be flexible to your needs’. Aware that the cost of retail rent was too high for a non-profit organization to afford, Mr. Johnson felt this was a good opportunity for Kingswood to reach out to the Fine Arts community of Fredericton by providing affordable space for the city’s only Artist-Run Center.
Gallery Connexion is not the only organization in hard times to be supported by Kingswood. Kingswood has helped countless local organizations with fundraising activities and sponsorships, including the Kids Sport Program , UNB VReds Prospects, many FYHA hockey and high school league sports teams and Kingswood administers and supports the Turnaround Achievement Award which recognizes youth who have turned their lives around.
Mr. Johnson explains, ‘The main reason for providing this space at an affordable rent to Gallery Connexion is to support the Fine Arts in Fredericton. This outreach serves to benefit the entire community.’
With a grand opening tentatively scheduled for the first week of October 2009, the board of directors is busy making plans to raise money for renovations. Long-time Connexion member and local architect John Leroux has agreed to design a floor plan and help Connexion with this project pro-bono. Connexion’s membership has offered to volunteer when it comes times to clean, paint and set-up. With a $15,000 grant from the Province of New Brunswick and $21,000 in hand from the New Brunswick Foundation for the Arts earmarked for gallery lighting, the board is still looking for donations towards the renovation budget. As a charitable organization Gallery Connexion can issue tax receipts and any contribution would be permanently preserved on a wall in the new gallery space.
Gallery president Carol Collicutt notes that 2009 marks Gallery Connexion’s 25th anniversary and with the future looking bright, the gallery can hopefully look forward to 25 more years of excellent contemporary programming. She stresses that the new environment will encourage artists of the present, and foster artists of the future, thanks to the vision of Kingswood, and the director, board and members of Gallery Connexion.
For more information please contact Executive Director of Gallery Connexion, Meredith Snider at 454-1433 between Tuesday and Friday, 10am to 4pm, or email connex@nbnet.nb.ca.
Meredith Snider
Director, Gallery Connexion
Location: TBA
Mail: PO Box 696, Fredericton NB, E3B 5B4
P: (506) 454-1433 E: connex@nbnet.nb.ca
www.galleryconnexion.ca