Rouge Art Gallery ends short but illustrious career

by Andrew Bennett on 31 Aug 2012

Roberta Post at the Red Roof Church's new rock garden

Rossland's Rouge Art Gallery closes today after two years of art shows and concerts in the renovated main hall of the old Bank of Montreal (BMO) building and a five-year rise to greatness prior to that. Roberta Post, the administrator for the artist's cooperative since the society's board decided to move into the BMO building, reflected on the loss.

"It's been a very positive experience, for me, for a lot of the time," she said. "The gallery has been the venue for many happy events, including weddings and concerts. It has donated the space for children's art shows, Rossland Glee Club rehearsals, and various other public events."

"It was, and could be, a jewel here," she said. "It's at the cornerstone of town, it is a beautiful gallery, and it's a beautiful building that lends itself extremely well to being a gallery—14 foot ceilings and all the beautiful work that was done in 1899 and 1900."

"And people loved it," she said.

In March, 2005, artist and community powerhouse Louise Drescher joined with other Rossland artists to hold exhibitions at the Old Firehall, including childrens' art shows and fundraisers for various causes in addition to local artists' shows.

The entire enterprise was driven by dedicated volunteers, primarily the collective's membership of artists. In September, 2008, the gallery moved into the store now occupied by Lulu's Lost Sheep.

"That gallery was successful, again driven by the work of volunteers," Post said.

Bolstered by this success, in the summer of 2010, the collective voted for a bold move into the main floor of the old BMO building that had recently been reopened by the building's new owner, Fletcher Quince.

"I couldn't have asked for anyone better," Post said about Quince. "Fletcher's been absolutely fabulous, I can't say enough positive about him."

Back in August, 2010, Quince joined right in with enthusiastic members such as Andy Holmes and Post's partner Claude Stormes as floors were torn up and replaced, ceilings were painted, ATM machines were removed, and on-and-on, all funded by clever fundraising and the hard work of many other volunteers.

"Fletcher was there all the time to help with the painting, the moving, the this and that. When we wanted to break into the vault—nobody knew the combination—Fletcher rented, at his own cost, a huge Hilte jackhammer and made the hole," Post said.

At last in September, after a mad dash effort of transformation, the space was opened as a gallery. At the same time, Post became the society's director, a position previously held by Drescher to address the day-to-day administration and "allow the artists to concentrate on producing their wonderful art," she said.

"It was very lively," Post recalled. "Artist members were supporting it, they were doing their shifts. We had a lot of members—we have much fewer now—and it was a positive experience for a lot of people who felt, 'Oh my goodness, we have this beautiful art gallery.'"

Rent for such a large, valuable piece of real estate was always a concern for the Rouge membership, but Quince was always accommodating. The gallery started with rent on a sliding scale that depended on art sales for the month.

"Once sales were good enough, we were paying more rent than we would [with a fixed rate]," Post said, so she brought the issue to the board who decided to settle on an amount with Quince.

As sales went up and the gallery got busier with events, the demands on Post's time increased greatly. She asked the board for a salary, and they agreed.

As another way to earn revenue, the Rouge Concert Series began soon after the gallery opened under the leadership of Nicola Everton, a professional musician who had recently come to Rossland and was swept up in the excitement. She received a number of grants to help pay for high quality acts, and Rosslanders turned out in large numbers.

"The concert series the first year was excellent," Post said. "People came out all the time and absolutely loved it. The cost to put it on was good and the amount the musicians were charging was good: we were able to make a profit."

But the second year, Post said "a series of events" sent the gallery into a downward spiral.

"Art sales were down," Post began, but the music series also became a financial strain as musician costs rose and concert attendance dropped.

"There was not enough draw, people were not attending. The only concerts that were well attended were concerts with relatively local musicians, for example from Nelson," Post explained. Moreover, "Nicola got grants for some of the costs for some of the musicians, but the costs for the musicians that were visiting were quite high."

One night, only 14 people turned up to hear a concert for which the musicians were paid $4000, only half of which was covered by a grant.

"In May, we had run out of money, but we had two musicians who were each charging $1000," she said. "So a relative of mine gave the society a loan for $2000 to pay the musicians, and I'm now trying to pay him back."

Post said that although the gallery closes today, there will still be work to repay certain debts by selling assets such as the 80 chairs they got for the concert series and the society's computer.

"I don't know where it's going after this," Post said. "Fletcher may find someone else to use that space, someone who has a business who would be willing to put an art gallery in there as well. The artists who have been members may decide in the future to regroup."

Although Post will step down from her role as director, she maintains optimism for the future: "I'm hoping that it becomes a beautiful art gallery again, I really do. I think it would be great for Rossland."