By Margaret-Anne Bennett
On December 5 last year, I sat down with Sarah Moore Fillmore, CEO, Art Gallery of Nova Scotia. As Chief Curator for 18 years, Sarah established a vision for the Gallery as a centre for artistic excellence and community. As chair of the jury for the prestigious Sobey Art Award, she supported emerging Canadian artists and ensured Atlantic Canadian artists had a space on that stage. She was appointed CEO in July 2023. I wanted to explore with her the current climate for art and artists in Nova Scotia, and how Teichert Gallery, operated by Art Sales and Rental Society, supports and contributes to that climate.
I was particularly drawn to a sentiment Sarah expressed shortly after being appointed CEO. She said she doesn’t talk about art in terms of acquisition or money or bricks and mortar. She talks about conversations, community, and connection. And, just as she sees art as a means of generating conversations, making connections, and building community, those same values are what has sustained a volunteer society like ASAR during its 50-year history, and what has sustained our commitment to the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia.
While collaborating on an upcoming exhibition, Sarah explained how she recently had an opportunity to review the AGNS’s database of acquisitions. Two key pieces of art drew her attention: “The Dog in the Car” and “Ocean Limited,” both by Alex Colville. “I realized those works wouldn't be in our collection without the support of Art Sales and Rental Society,” she said. “They helped to feed an important bit of scholarship about this place (Atlantic Canada), and, in the broader context of Canadian art history, that conversation is often a missing link. That's a really important role [your society plays] in helping us acquire works in a timely fashion.
“And I don't know if we could acquire those works today,” she continues. “When we operated without core acquisition support, we were able to partner with ASAR to bring important works into the collection. We had a push for a number of years to acquire emerging or younger Atlantic Canadian artists. That gave our team of curators a mission and allowed us to know that we could go and identify works and that there was support from a like-minded community.
“I really credit your society with helping us ensure we were present in Atlantic Canada and able to acquire regional work. For example, we had really wonderful studio visits with Kim Greeley, a Newfoundland artist, and others made it into our collection because we had that support.”
I remember seeing Greeley’s work at an AGNS exhibition a couple of years ago and it was remarkable to see these works and then to look at the tag and go, oh, Art Sales and Rental/Teichert Gallery contributed to that one, and that one, and that one. It reinforced for me the connections ASAR shares in supporting Atlantic Canadian art and artists. It generates a sense of pride, knowing you’ve contributed to the legacy of art history in your community.
My conversation with Sarah turned to the complementary connections in our community of artists. She recalled an AGNS survey show called “Terroir” where several artists in that exhibition were also artists who showed at Teichert Gallery. “Matthew Collins generated a lot of excitement,” she says. “It reenergized him and our relationship and we purchased his work for our permanent collection.
“I also remember when Hangama Amiri was just out of her BA at NSCAD and making art that had a conceptual element,” Sarah continues. “There were some of her pieces at Teichert Gallery. They were fascinating. That led to a studio visit with her when she was in Lunenburg before she went to graduate school and we acquired works of hers for the collection. She went on to do her Masters at Yale and, just this year, she was the short-listed artist for Atlantic Canada for the Sobey Art Award. You were able to identify and give her space at that critical young age. There's this beautiful trajectory that happens.”
“[That ASAR has] a commercial space is an important piece of the puzzle,” says Sarah. “It’s critical that there's a place for Atlantic Canadian artists to show their work and make a living. I think the rental option you offer is very attractive for helping people bring art into their home or business. That's a unique service that sets Teichert Gallery apart. It's really important because when you foster collectors, you also foster that life cycle and that ecosystem. And you're building relationships within your volunteer group and with businesses and collectors who are watching, listening and learning.”
At the end of our conversation Sarah surprised me by asking why I’ve continued to volunteer with ASAR/Teichert Gallery these past 10 years. I was reminded of an article on the health benefits of being engaged in a community -- not merely as you age, but at every stage of life. ASAR was formed 50 years ago by a cadre of women friends who were interested in art and were supporters of the AGNS. It was a way for them to create a space for their conversations, connections, and community -- through art! It continues today - 50 years later - and I’m delighted to have participated in those ‘3Cs’.
Following retirement from an academic/administrative career, Margaret-Anne Bennett became a Teichert Gallery volunteer in 2014 and an ASAR board member in 2015.