Peterborough’s Artspace, one of Canada’s oldest artist-run art centres, is about to turn 50. The non-profit organization will be celebrating its semicentennial year in 2024.
Artspace was founded in 1974 by late artists Dennis Tourbin and David Bierk along with a collective of other artists, with Bierk remaining director of the artists’ collective until 1987.
Tourbin passed away in 1998 at the age of 53 from a massive stroke and Bierk passed away in 2002 at the age of 58 as a result of complications from leukemia. Artspace’s original curator, Joe Stable, continues to practise art in his downtown Peterborough studio at the age of 74.
The organization was incorporated as a non-profit charity in 1977, and offered a multi-disciplinary program that included new music, dance, poetry, film, video, and performance art.
Artspace was originally located at 440 Water Street at Brock Street, a building that no longer exists. It was later located for several years on the second floor of 188-190 Hunter Street West (where La Hacienda and Sam’s Place are now). In 1984, Artspace relocated to and operated the Market Hall, after the venue was converted from a gymnasium into a performing arts centre.
Artspace remained at the Market Hall until the early 1990s, when funding issues forced the organization to drop the performance aspect of its programming. In 1994, the dance component was taken over by Peterborough New Dance with founding director Bill Kimball, who had curated Artspace’s dance program from 1980 to 1994. Peterborough New Dance would later become Public Energy Performing Arts.
In all, Artspace had six locations in Peterborough — including at King and George Street, where its archives were either destroyed or badly damaged after the great flood of Peterborough in July 2004 — before opening at its current site at 378 Alymer Street North in 2006.
Artspace has unveiled a 50th anniversary logo designed by Cameron Noble and will be launching its semicentennial year with a group members’ exhibition that opens on Friday, January 5th.
Also celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2024 is the Art Gallery of Peterborough, whose curator Fynn Leitch was director at Artspace from 2010 to 2014.
