The Scope

The Eastern Edge in 1994.

Eastern Edge Gallery celebrates its 25th anniversary with a Silver Soiree Gala.

By David Keating

Eastern Edge director Michelle Bush, assistant director Mary MacDonald and board chair Sarah Hillock are sitting among 25 years worth of half-unwrapped sculptures and paintings. And many more pieces arrive every day from past and present members from far and wide.

“The idea was to have 25 past members and 25 present members exhibit,” says Bush, looking around.

“Of course,” she laughs. “There are more than fifty works now, because I’m no good at saying no.”

Founded near the beginning of a Canada-wide emergence of artist-run centres, for the 25 years of Eastern Edge’s existence the gallery has tried to be a doors-open institution for all artists and all community groups.

“I think Eastern Edge tends to fill in for educational institutions that other cities have for the arts,” says Hillock. “We don’t have the Grenfell College art program from Memorial in St. John’s. Of course there’s the Anna Templeton Centre, which is an educating body, but we do lectures and workshops and our ‘Art School 101’… It’s pretty essential to St. John’s and to the community.”

Eastern Edge has not only been a resource for developing local artistic talent. Over the years, numerous national and international artists have had their introduction to the province via the gallery.

Communication is part of our mandate, says Bush. “We’re not just exhibiting work. I’d say 98 per cent of our exhibiting artists come here… to interact with the public and to get feedback on their work and to have that kind of one-on-one.”

“It’s one thing to see someone’s exhibition, to read a text about it, but it’s another thing to get the chance to ask people questions directly,” she says.

“I think it has benefits the visiting artists as well,” says Hillock. “It’s interesting for them because we’re such a community… I think that affects a lot of the artists and the way they work here. Which is different, than a major city where it can be much more competitive.”

Along with having mounted a sixty-something piece members exhibition on October 31st, the staff and volunteers are putting the finishing touches on their upcoming Silver Soiree gala—their big birthday to-do.

“It’s going to be a really fun evening,” says Bush. “But not only that, it’s the opportunity to bid on some amazing works of art from some well-known and some lesser known but up-and-coming emerging artists.”

Among the works being auctioned off are paintings by Will Gill, Pam Hall and Gerry Squires.

With the Silver Soiree, one the gallery’s most important fundraisers of the year, Eastern Edge is making a push to invite in the city’s art patrons, philanthropists and collectors.

“Hopefully more and more people will recognize who and what Eastern Edge is and what role we play in the whole arts community here,” says Bush. “The history of Eastern Edge just goes to show how important it has been. There are lots of artists who people know—and maybe they have their work in their collection—who were involved with Eastern Edge for so many years.”

The Eastern Edge 25th Anniversary Members Show and ‘Time after Timeline’ open Oct. 31st and runs until December. Admission is free.

To preview the Silver Soiree works up for auction, visit silversoiree.blogspot.com