SMALL TOWN PRINT SHOP IS A REALITY
BY MATT DIXON, JUNE 25TH, 2011. PHOTOS BY MATT DIXON | CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT MATT'S PRINTS OF THE PEI MUSIC SCENE.

The Small Town Print Studio finally opened their doors at the Guild in downtown Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada after weeks of anticipation! We couldn't be prouder of the folks at This Town Is Small for making this project happen. I spoke with This Town Is Small's Becka Viau about the Print Studio and what it will mean to the community moving forward.

It's been a long road since the beloved artist space Ampersand closed down. Now, a year and a half later the Small Town Print Studio is set to open at The Guild in downtown Charlottetown. Looking back at all the hard work from then to now, what does this opening mean to you?

Becka: Opening a space downtown where artist can work, share skills and learn new techniques is an amazing accomplishment for the whole small town team, and a beautiful addition to the Charlottetown arts scene. It is exciting because it is a space that will be used by not only visual artists but by musicians, small entrepreneurs and of course students. This Town Is Small is dedicated to increasing public awareness and understanding of contemporary art forms, and providing a functioning creation and education space seems like a great first step to fully achieving our goals.

This past year has flown by! Since the closing of Ampersand on Water Street our momentum has only picked up speed and grown community. It is almost overwhelming when I think of how many people have committed a huge part of their lives to seeing This Town Is Small reach the point it has today. Incorporating a non-profit corporation is no small task, and keeping the community's interest peaked while doing all of that paper and legal work is probably even harder. However with extreme thanks to our dedicated board of directors: Drew Heggie, Jenn White, Lennie MacPherson, Sandi Hartling and Sam Stewart we have surfaced with a functioning downtown studio location only 9 months after This Town Is Small was incorporated! Incredible really.

This Town Is Small was created by a small group of artists with the same needs and challenges... by creating this non-profit organization our hope is to enhance, support and sustain the arts community for everyone.

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What do you hope the Small Town Print Studio will become in the months, and *fingers crossed* years ahead?

Becka: Hopefully the Small Town Print Studio will be pretty self sustaining after the first three months of operation. We are currently signed into a three month contract with the Guild, sort of a test run I would say. However, if what our research and guts tell us lots of people should get use out of the space this summer, and we will run a couple of workshops to help fill up the pool of trained printers.

When the Small Town Print Studio survives the busy summer This Town Is Small plans to approach Holland College and the Confederation Centre Art Gallery to start discussing ways in which the studio can benefit or enhance the Art education programs at the centre and the fundamental arts, graphic design and even video design courses at the college. There are an incredible amount of students studying in the creative sector right now, right in the heart of the city even, and if we can help provide equipment, expertise and creation space for that demographic we will not only be helping the students but the students will be helping to ensure the studio remains sustainable. 

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Prince Edward Island truly is lucky to have such a vibrant and creative artistic community. I've found however that this talent can sometimes tend to fly under the radar. It's crucial to shine a light on our emerging artists and to give them a helping hand, and I think that is something unique This Town is Small does. You've become a beacon of hope for artists since you've busted onto the scene. I want to congratulate you once again on all of your accomplishments, and I cannot wait to see what you'll come up with next. Are you optimistic about the future?

Becka: Emerging artists nourish sustainability within the arts sector, this is very true. However, a big part of an artist run centre is to encourage the development of professional artists. Becoming a professional artist and financially surviving is a tough thing to do when there is no middle ground, no real grey area between hobbyist, activist, enthusiast and that golden nugget of professional recognition. Being an artist is a career. It is a career in thought and communication, yet it exists in a very real world economy. Learning to navigate the business side of art can take time but the best way to figure things out is to do them. Writing grant proposals, working alongside mentors, performing, exhibiting, publishing, even if only at a small scale is crucial to understanding how a professional career moves. With all of that said I can see This Town Is Small continuing to aid in the development of professional artists from Prince Edward Island's emerging creative community and in turn being an important part of a sustainable arts sector. This Town Is Small has become a strategic part of the Island's art scene by fueling the energy produced when artists of all ages, level of professionalism and disciplines are thrust into working collaboratively together. If they continue doing that I am very optimistic about their future.

... and The Small Town Print Studio will for sure provide the space, equipment and community that is integral to sustaining This Town Is Small's mission. I say YAY to a place to create! 

 

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