YARMOUTH, N.S. —
The future of the Yarmouth branch of the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia (AGNS), the only satellite branch in the province, is of growing concern to many.
Branded as the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia Western Branch, it opened in May 2006 in a former Royal Bank of Canada building that was constructed in 1913. Over the years the branch has provided additional exhibition space for works from the Halifax gallery’s permanent collection. A community room on the second floor has been used for workshops, lectures and local art shows. Studios in the basement have been used for classes.
In January 2020 the Yarmouth Fire department responded to an alarm at the branch. The problem was traced to an overheated motor in the ventilation system. Although the smoke didn’t cause damage to any works of art, the facility remained closed until that spring when the Visitor Information Centre was moved here temporarily from its former home where a COVID-19 testing centre was established.
Michael Morris, owner of the online At the Sign of the Whale art gallery, is disappointed in the provincial art gallery for not stepping up to carry out its mandate.
“I live in fear that money that is supposed to go to our gallery will go to the one in Halifax,” he says. "I think it’s really too bad that they’re not doing what they should be doing. It’s a real hole here not having it in operation.”
Artist Kellianne Land says when she moved to Yarmouth four years ago the gallery felt more alive. She says the programming in the schools and in the gallery has been an important resource for the region. As the facilitator for several programs, she received wonderful feedback about how it added to the school’s curriculum. “Both the removal of the community gallery and the possibility of limited programming have been, and would be, tragic for the area."
She adds the satellite gallery has great potential, but requires the input of local artists and dedicated financing to make it work.
She sees “many fine artists” becoming older in this area and fears residents are losing touch with this important resource. “My opinion is that the AGNS is not really interested in what really exists in art in the south west region, that their focus is on the new facility and Halifax-specific ideas, as well as corporate marketing."
Local artist Dan Earle is an officer in the Yarmouth Art Society and was a frequent volunteer at the AGNS branch.
“I would often be there twice a week to assist in the creative activity with local schoolchildren,” he says. Other volunteers would introduce the students to the current shows curated by Halifax.
Earle estimates there were over 500 students each year visiting. He also helped with Autism Arts and other programs and activities. Earle says between COVID and the HVAC (ventilation failure), AGNS took all art work back to Halifax.
“The building is not disabled, just not up to art preservation standards because they haven’t finished HVAC repairs. I would guess that if the HVAC went out in Halifax it would be fixed in a week,” says Earle.
He says besides introducing art to students, the branch also brings art within easy access to all people in southwest Nova Scotia.
“The student activity encourages parents, grandparents and friends to visit the gallery. It’s also a major tourist attraction. AGNS claims to want to bring their collections to the public and this is a perfect place to do it.”
“What the arts community wants is a positive 'Yes, we commit to reopening the Yarmouth site as a full service branch in 2022 as it was before the COVID and HVAC issues arose.' We want curated shows, the gift shop, staff, and programming,” says Earle.
Colin Stinson, AGNS director of marketing and visitor experience, says although the branch remains closed, AGNS remains committed to Yarmouth. “We strongly believe that we have been making an impact in the community during these challenging times through continued art programming like Autism Arts, ArtReach, and ArtsSmarts."
“The new Art Gallery of Nova Scotia is a capital project, which utilizes capital funding for its development. Regular operations, including the western branch, rely on annual operational funding. There is no risk of having operational funding reallocated towards the capital project," he says. "We remain steadfastly committed to continue working with our partners on a permanent reopening plan."
