Artspace gets a ‘facelift’

Photo by Gabe Pollock

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Hi there, it’s co-editor Gabe Pollock here, with your weekly Peterborough Currents email newsletter!

Exciting things are happening in Peterborough’s downtown. Tonight (May 1) is the First Friday Art Crawl, and as part of that, Artspace will be re-opening its doors and re-launching its newly renovated space.

I sat down with Artspace’s executive director, Leslie Menagh to get a sneak peek of the new Artspace, and to have a chat about the space’s evolving place in Peterborough’s downtown arts community.

You can read the full article on the Peterborough Currents website.


Rethinking space for artists at Artspace

Peterborough’s iconic downtown gallery re-launches with a new look and an evolving focus

by Gabe Pollock

Artist Edward FuChen Juan and Artspace director Leslie Menagh reposition one of Artspace’s new moveable walls. (Photo by Gabe Pollock.)

“It’s been a design question that I’ve been rolling around my head,” says Artspace director Leslie Menagh. “How do we literally shape this space so that it’s as flexible, as versatile, as responsive as possible?”

Menagh is calling it a “facelift,” as the downtown art gallery premieres its new look this weekend during the First Friday Art Crawl on May 1. The gallery now has a new retail space selling art supplies, a renewed focus on providing studio space for members, and brand-new moveable walls that will allow the gallery to be shaped and re-shaped into the future.

This comes as the 52-year-old Artspace confronts a shifting local arts landscape and ongoing funding challenges, and continues to consider how best to serve its evolving membership.


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Gabe Pollcok
Co-Editor
Peterborough Currents


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Author
A headshot of Gabe Pollock.

Gabe Pollock is the co-editor of Peterborough Currents. He’s a writer, editor, and arts administrator based in Peterborough-Nogojiwanong. He was previously the co-founder of Electric City Magazine and has written extensively about music, culture, and politics in this city.

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