This week, Lakefield is welcoming an all-new hub for artists, with a space for exhibitions, studio rentals, out-of-town artist residencies, and collaborative workshops through the opening of Ecco Gallery and Studios.
Located at 46A Queen Street, Ecco Gallery and Studios officially launches Friday (November 10) with a gallery-opening celebration. Between 11 a.m. and 7 p.m., guests are invited to visit the new gallery, connect over light refreshments, and view the inaugural exhibit curated with pieces from local artists.
The gallery is a combination of skillsets and dreams from local visual artist Kay Gregg and the gallery’s owner Giuseppina “Pina” Romano, a fellow visual artist hailing from Richmond Hill.
“I connected with Pina just by chance last July and over a couple months, we got together and realized that we were both looking to do a very similar project,” Gregg explains. “Between the two of us, I gathered the artists and she gathered the space, and we put the two together.”
Practising her craft for more than a decade, Gregg is a Lakefield-based artist working in abstract oil and acrylic and mixed media collages, while Romano is an emerging artist soon relocating from the Greater Toronto Area to Stony Lake to operate the galley and begin to explore her art full time.
Both Romano and Gregg will be exhibiting their own artwork during the gallery opening, alongside other local artists Rowena Dykins, Holly Edwards, Christianne Ferguson, Mary-Anne Johnston, and Annette Vlieg.
Gregg describes the inaugural exhibit as “eclectic and a little on the edge” with a range of mediums including hand-felting, abstract and acrylics, sculptural paper-mâché, pen and ink drawings, and more.
With its location in a historical heritage building, the gallery is made up of a few smaller spaces that can feature up to four distinct exhibitions. While the opening exhibit features all Lakefield-based artists, future shows at the gallery will include work from artists across the region and throughout the province.
Gregg hopes that by the springtime, Ecco Gallery and Studios will also be providing space for short-term studio space rental, out-of-town artist residencies, and workshops.
“Based on research I’ve done previously, there is a good need and interest in learning, and an interest in people coming from out of town and having a space to do their work in a different environment,” says Gregg.
For Gregg, moving her work into the building is a full-circle moment, as she had previously operated a retail store called Victorian Grapevine out of the exact location for 12 years prior to focusing on her artwork. This return to the building was part of the inspiration for the gallery’s name.
“It refers to coming back because ‘ecco’ translates from Italian to English meaning ‘here and now’ — it speaks to me coming back to a place I’ve been to before,” explains Gregg, adding that it further resonates with her and Romano’s artwork.
“A lot of the work I do involves repurposing, whether it’s the canvas, or the collage and the gold paper — and Pina does the same — so the name really speaks to a lot of different levels,” Gregg says.
While there are big plans for the future of Ecco Gallery and Studios, for now Gregg is focused on the opening this week and celebrating local art.
“We’re very excited to offer this opportunity to the community and can’t wait to get it going and welcome everyone,” adds Gregg.
Following the official opening on Friday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., the gallery will be open from Thursday through Sunday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 46A Queen Street, Lakefield. Follow the gallery on Facebook to keep up to date on exhibits.
