The Distillery High End Art Pioneers - March 11, 2011
This time I decided to explore the west side of the distillery district and was fortunate to meet with Fay Athari the full time Director of artagallery. I had to admit I was lured in by the aesthetic beauty of a horse sculpture made of metal. It was just as beautiful up close under the spot lights. I was even more impressed when I explored the gallery space further. I explained to Fay my background in visual arts and my attempt to promote the arts in Toronto, especially the distillery district. I was pleasantly surprised to find out artagallary is one of the older galleries in the historical Distillery District and has been running for 8 years. They feature various international artists emerging and established. This gives Fay a chance to travel and attend various exhibitions and has buyers in Europe and the Middle East. The beginning for artagallery was a difficult time like any other business but it still remains. After the recession in 2008, business slowed down, but recently Fay has begun to see business pick up once again. Art is unfortunately considered to be a luxury and is usually one of the first to be effected by the market. I felt I had to add that high end original art is an investment. Fay mentioned that she sees a lot of change in the art world. People are beginning to go directly to the artist. This is a concern for the private galleries. Many of the galleries have learned to get creative in their business practices.
Getting Creative with the Space
Artagallery uses it stunning architecture and space for event rentals. What a perfect place to have an intimate wedding ceremony or reception, in a gorgeous gallery with historical character and a contemporary masterpieces. This high end gallery has also hosted wonderful birthday parties, film showings, book launching, poetry readings and various other types of ceremonies. The director of the movie Chloe had a film shown at this stunning location.
Posted on March 11, 2011 by Toronto Arts Girl
