A temporary art gallery in Smiths Falls is proving it may have more staying power than first expected.
The Big Art Gallery at the Falls, originally planned as a shorter summer and early fall project, has been extended, giving residents and visitors more time to discover work by artists from across the region.
The Gallery’s Nora Brown has seen all three exhibitions staged in the space.
The gallery is free to visit and features paintings, photography and a wide range of visual styles. Artists can reapply for each new exhibition, with a jury process used to select pieces that work well together.
Brown says the changing displays give people a reason to return.
Smiths Falls’ Chris Dixon has pieces in the gallery once again, and says the current show brings together work from well beyond the town itself.
Dickson’s own work remains part of the gallery story. A painting of Smiths Falls’ timber bridge helped spark the idea, and prints remain available. A former professional photographer, Dickson began painting later in life after a disability kept her from working. She says art became a creative outlet.
Photographer Len Moderman is also showing several pieces, including bird photography and a bald eagle image captured on Otty Lake.
He says, it’s a great gift to have a place to display his work.
Visitors can also enter a free draw for a 16-by-16-inch painting by Gord Coulthard, whose cartoons and artwork are featured in the gallery. Ballots are available until Oct. 17.
For Smiths Falls, the extended run means more time to support local creativity, discover regional artists and see how a temporary idea is growing into something the community can keep coming back to.
