State of the art
Harvest Gallery showcases the region’s best
Lynda Macdonald recalls being inspired by the Studio Rally on her summer vacations in Nova Scotia.
The province-wide exhibition of art and crafts was a “can’t miss” each year for the Toronto native.
“I would grab the route map as soon as we arrived in Nova Scotia, and we would make our way around the province,” she recalls. “I was always amazed at the depth and the quality of the work, and we would often get to meet the artists and the curators.”
After Macdonald moved to Wolfville with her growing family in 1999 she began contemplating a gallery that would showcase the region’s best loved artists and artisans.
“I thought about the Studio Rally map, but all together under one roof,” she says. “People could have the same experience I used to have, but without having to travel the province.”
One afternoon she saw a “for lease” sign on a Main Street window, and Macdonald immediately knew that this was the space. In July 2004 she opened Harvest Gallery.
“I was able to reach out to the artists that I had formed relationships with over the years, and we had no shortage of fine art and crafts to fill the gallery.”
There was a nice symmetry to opening a gallery in Wolfville, where artist Alex Colville had lived from 1973 until his death in 2013.
“I was new to the business, and so I wanted to seek out his advice,” Macdonald recalls. “I wrote him a letter, and he invited me for tea. He was a lovely gentleman, and very thoughtful and generous. We were able to represent him here at the gallery, so that was a nice feather in our cap.”
Harvests Gallery represents more than 60 artists from across Nova Scotia, encompassing a full range of media, from jewellry and blacksmithing to folk art, Mi’kmaq baskets, bronze sculpture, ceramics, photography, carvings and paintings.
“We like to think it’s some of the best of the best of what’s being produced in Nova Scotia,” Macdonald says. “Most of the artists have been with me for a long time. I like to be able to display several examples of each artist’s work at all times.”
Many of the featured artists at Harvest Gallery are graduates of the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design (NSCAD), a talent incubator for both home-grown artists and students from across the globe.
“There are people from all over the world who study at NSCAD and then choose to live in Nova Scotia and create their work here.”
Using a jury process with submission guidelines, Macdonald offers opportunities for emerging artists to get their work in front of a larger audience.
“We’re very selective. We make a decision based on quality, while also being careful about how many artists we have in each style or medium.”
With something for everyone, Harvest Gallery offers a full range of price points, subject matter, and style.
“I often get asked: who is my favourite? But I don’t have a favourite. I love all the work we have here in the gallery, and the fact that it’s all from Nova Scotia.”
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