As a follow-up to the NOW 2000s art trends article I posted about yesterday--particularly the point on the effect of market ups and downs on our local scene--I just wanted to list the Toronto galleries I know of that have closed since 2008, or that are soon to close their spaces.
I should also note that number of these have promised a "transformation" into more of a consultancy or showing-from-home-office scenario, but the spaces themselves have closed, or are about to.
Artcore Fabrice Marcolini
Sandra Ainsley Gallery
Greener Pastures
Akau
Beckett Fine Art
Keep Six Contemporary
Paul Bright Gallery
Craig Scott Gallery
Tinku
List Gallery
Switch Contemporary
I'm listing these just as information--no judgment, people. I have zero skill or experience in the commercial gallery realm, so I'm pretty much always impressed with people who (a) are willing to give it a go and (b) are willing to risk their livelihoods/pay the rent for it.
(I'll also just note, out of Toronto, that Vancouver's Lawrence Eng Gallery has officially closed. They showed some artists I enjoy and who I hope get picked up elsewhere.)
Interestingly, one of the main Toronto gallery launches this season was Circuit Gallery -- a gallery that has ixnayed gallery-rental fees from its budget completely and gone all online/consultancy to begin with. I'm guessing this will be an increasing model for the future. Even though the auctions this season have clearly shown that some folks are still willing to pay big money for art, it's a challenge, I'd bet, to develop and maintain relationships with those kinds of buyers, especially for new gallerists featuring relatively unknown artists.
Image from Chicago Now
Friday, December 11, 2009
Follow-up: Galleries closed since '08, and some that have opened
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6 comments:
We could also track magazines that have ceased publishing in the same-ish time frame ...
Arts Atlantic
Parachute
Artichoke
Mix magazine
[a Winnipeg alt-monthly that I cannot remember the name of, but it was promising)
Lola
New:
Fillip
Seems a little out of balance, and mostly due to issues relating to funding, not to the recession. With the new funding criteria at Heritage Canada about to kick into place, we will probably be able to add significantly to the list in a year or so.
i wonder how many of these galleries paid their artists?
Hey Michael
Great point! I think that publishing's demise is one of those things that's so close to me I fail to report on it a lot of the time.
I think Visual Arts Nova Scotia is doing a good job, but I do miss Arts Atlantic, which covered the whole region.
I also miss Lola in particular.
Also new, much to my surprise given the current state of money affairs, is Bad Day, Hunter and Cook and Pyramid Power. I know not where the cash is coming from for these, or how long they will last, but I do hope it's for a while. Gives an old fogey hope to go with the despair. And yes, that small mags funding cut you refer to is certainly despair-worthy. Scary.
You're right, I missed the other new ones ... maybe because they are so new, I don't think of them as really existing as viable projects yet. Most mags, across the board, don't last much more than a year.
Hey Michael,
Yes, longevity is always an issue.
I do want to reiterate I appreciate your comment. I had originally suggested "shrinking column-inches for art" as one of the top art developments of the decade, but it didn't make the cut. I do think it is important for sure.
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