The Blue Building, Halifax
The Blue Building exterior / 2482 Maynard Street (photo: Ryan Josey)
The Canadian art landscape is ever-changing. Places + Spaces keeps you informed of established and up-and-coming exhibition venues across the country including museums, galleries, artist-run centres, and more. This month, we hear from Emily Falencki, Founder and Director of The Blue Building in Halifax.
What is the history and mandate of your gallery?
Ursula Johnson, ITHA: The Livingroom, June 24 – September 4, 2021 (courtesy: The Blue Building Gallery; photo: Ryan Josey)
I opened The Blue Building (TBB) in February of 2021. TBB is part of a larger project known as 2482 Maynard. 2482 was imagined after living in Halifax for many years as an artist, a teacher at NSCAD, and raising my three kids. It became clear that there was much need in the arts community. We needed studio space, long term housing for an incredible non-profit named Wonder’neath, and a contemporary, commercial gallery to champion artists in and from the Maritimes.
2482 Maynard was bought with these needs in mind. Wonder’neath collaborates with me as a tenant, programming 50% of the building. And I program the other 50%, renting private studio space to independent artists upstairs and operating TBB on the ground floor.
TBB is a first-of-its-kind gallery for Halifax. It is “artist-led”. By that I mean that Ryan Josey (who helps me run the gallery) and I are artists first. The gallery itself is a 1400 square foot, accessible, purpose-built space. We collaborate with artists and offer them a commercial platform on which to stage ambitious installations and exhibitions. And we sell their work.
What’s a highlight of the neighbourhood where the gallery is located?
Mitchell Wiebe gives an artist talk during Rarities & Remixes, February 28 – April 26, 2025 (courtesy: The Blue Building Gallery; photo: Emily Falencki)
Wonder’neath’s programming is certainly one of the best parts of the North End of Halifax. Twice weekly they hold Open Studio sessions where anyone, all ages, can come and make art together, free of cost. It’s a beautiful pairing with our program.
The North End is an evolving neighbourhood. We are part of a new wave of businesses that have been changing the streetscape over the past ten years. It has the best restaurants, best coffee, best gyms, best schools. It’s interesting to watch it grow and see what remains. The North End is one of those places where the resilience I love so much about this place remains.
What’s your favourite part of running an art gallery?
Marcia Huyer, Negotiating +/–, May 3 – June 6, 2025 (courtesy: The Blue Building Gallery; photo: Ryan Josey)
Making money for artists.
How do you find out about new artists?
Jenny Yujia Shi, Hopefully, I’ll remember, December 2, 2022 – February 4, 2023 (courtesy: The Blue Building Gallery; photo: Ryan Josey)
All of the ways. When we opened, I had approached seven artists whose work I had learned about from living in this place. All were mid-career or established, all internationally recognized, but none had found a strong fit with a commercial gallery for their more experimental, performance- or installation-based practices. Today, we regularly support an evolving list of seventeen artists at all stages in their careers. Many I have met through living in Halifax, through community connections, and word of mouth. Oftentimes we meet at openings – both here at TBB and at other galleries around the region. Showing up and making in-person connections are most important to us.
Where do you see yourself in five years?
Silas Wamsley in If Not Now, Then When (group show), June 29 – September 7, 2024 (courtesy: The Blue Building Gallery; photo: Ryan Josey)
My hope is that the art market in the Maritimes will grow, that other contemporary galleries will open, and support for artists will diversify. A city the size of Halifax, with the art community that’s here, should have ten Blue Buildings.
What excites you about your upcoming exhibitions?
Sheilah ReStack, I am a mom, 2024, neon sign (courtesy: The Blue Building Gallery; photo: Ryan Josey)
Right now we are working with such a great group of artists. Emerging folks like Silas Wamsley, Kayza DeGraff-Ford, Ryan Josey, and Jenny Yujia Shi, alongside mid-career artists like Lucie Chan and Sheilah ReStack, and senior artists like Michael Fernandes (who just had a solo show) and Sandra Brownlee (who is preparing for a solo next year). The range of ages and experiences is incredible. The insight we get into how the creative process evolves over lifetimes is beautiful and exciting to witness.