An interview on the Living Things Arts Collective with local artist and Sackville Poet Laureate, Laura Watson
If you have walked down Lorne Street recently, you may have noticed the large windows filled with bike supplies on 25 Lorne St. are now filled with two massive olive shaped eyes and a sign reading “Living Things Arts Collective.” The space is now home to a store, a performance space, and two art studios. In an interview with The Argosy, Laura Watson, Sackville poet laureate and collective member, says the space provides a place where “we can see work from all these amazing artists who live and operate in town, who maybe don’t have another venue for their stuff at the moment locally.”
The Living Arts Collectives grand opening is on Nov. 8 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. After the opening, Watson says the shop will be open “Wednesday through Sunday, every week” with tentative hours being 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturdays, and 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Sundays.
Watson says the Art Collective is a “pretty new project” which manifested in mid-August of this year, when local textile artist Alana Morouney reached out to a few creatives in Sackville. The space is divided into four sections, with one section designated to be the shop where artists like Watson sell their work. The second space in the front is run by musician Glenn Barrington, former owner of Thunder and Lightning, a Sackville bar that shut down after COVID-19. When Thunder and Lightning was open, it was known for hosting artists, musicians, poets, and creating a welcoming atmosphere for the arts community. Barrington’s space is filled with relics from the bar, and has already hosted musician Jim Bryson. In the back of the building are the two art studios of artist and Mt.A alumnus Bre Darlison, as well as painter and writer Jon Claytor, who is one of the founders of Sappyfest.
The Collective has grown to about 15 artists, and Watson says more artists, including student artists, are welcome to join by contacting the Collective through Instagram or by dropping in and leaving their email. Watson says the store “will be run by the people who are selling their work there. So it will be organised in whatever way that best serves their interests [and] allows them to keep the most of their sales.” Currently, artists pay a monthly membership fee of $45 and keep all of the profit from the sales of their work. Unlike most commercial galleries and shops, where a commission can range from 30 to 50 per cent, the Collective does not currently take a commission.
The Collective opened its doors for Art Across the Marsh to an enthusiastic and curious public. Watson says the shop had “a lot of traffic” and that “being a part of that studio tour was a great way to become known by the community and meet some new people.” Watson encourages members of the Sackville community to attend events held in the space, and adds that next time you are looking for a gift for someone, “think about people in your community who make things and come out to look at the shop.” Available to purchase at the shop is a range of creations including prints, cards, posters, calendars, zines, books, pottery, handmade clothing, dried flowers and wreaths, CDs and records from local musicians, jewelry, and textile works including rug-hookings, crochet, jelly fish, and mushrooms.
To stay up to date with events at the new Collective or to contact the Collective, follow @living_things_artscollective on Instagram.
To find out more about Laura Watson and her work, visit her website: https://www.laurakwatson.com