Jane MacDougald has spent the week carefully taking down the artwork that adorns the purple walls of her gallery, neatly packing up more than a decade’s worth of memories and decor, piece by carefully curated piece.
The Dart Gallery closes its doors this week after 12 years on Portland Street in downtown Dartmouth.
“It was crushing because you know, I’ve put a lot into making this space what it is,” MacDougald said last week, standing among shelves of local art prints and jewelry.
MacDougald said she was surprised when her landlord recently decided not to renew her lease.
Ian Stanley, who owns the building, said he tried to work with MacDougald and said an art gallery is “great for the community.” But he said the rent she hoped to pay was “way under” market value, and they could not come to an agreement.
Since she announced the closure on social media, MacDougald said she’s been overwhelmed by messages of support.
“It’s really nice to hear, you know, how much it’s meant to people,” MacDougald said, her voice breaking. “People, I think, are very sad to see it go.”
Besides a place for artists to sell their work, the gallery’s Red Room — named for the hand-dyed red plywood floors — became a community hub hosting everything from live music, DJs, and comedy, to Black beauty events.
MacDougald said she knows that art can sometimes feel inaccessible, and wanted to change that by creating a vibrant, welcoming space that “feels good to be in.”
Lindsey Harrington, a longtime host of a writer’s circle at the gallery, said MacDougald more than achieved that.
“We really had the full gambit of artists … whether it be, you know, the city’s poet laureate to somebody who never shared a poem before,” Harrington said about the dART Speak event.
“The biggest gift that the Dart Gallery gave me was a community.”
The Dart Gallery was among the first wave of businesses to kick-start the revitalization of Portland Street, which has become a vibrant stretch of cafes, restaurants and shops.
“She was just so supportive of downtown Dartmouth when nobody else was. It’s just really sad,” Harrington said.
MacDougald said she can’t take too much credit for the work of other businesses who followed after her. But, she remembers hoping that bringing art and culture to the neighbourhood where she lived could give it a sense of identity.
Tim Rissesco, CEO of the Downtown Dartmouth Business Commission, said the closure “leaves a hole for community gatherings on the street.”
He is hopeful MacDougald could eventually reopen at a new location within the area, something that MacDougald said she also wants.
“I’ve met so many wonderful, talented, kind people and it’s really been a privilege,” MacDougald said. “I’ll miss seeing everyone as often, but you know, I’m not really going to go anywhere.”
For now, MacDougald said she will offer local art through her gallery website and is interested in exploring a community land trust for downtown Dartmouth.
She pointed to the Kensington Market Community Land Trust as a possible model. In that case, community members pool resources to buy properties to prevent residential tenants and small businesses from being pushed out of the unique area.
