Chatham-Kent’s art community gathered on Saturday in Chatham to brainstorm and figure out a way to make ARTspace sustainable.

Brainstorming session on the future of ARTspace in downtown Chatham. Photo credit: David Gough.

ARTspace was formed in 2008 as a joint initiative between the Thames Art Gallery and a group of Chatham-Kent artists. ARTspace is a not-for-profit gallery that aims to promote and develop Chatham-Kent visual artists. It has since grown into a cultural hub that offers arts programming.

A major issue for ARTspace is making sure that the gallery is sustainable and a place that everybody in Chatham-Kent knows about.

Heather Slater, Chatham-Kent’s manager of arts and culture, said the meeting was about the present and future of ARTspace, and to refocus on what the gallery provides and what it needs to do to better suit the need for arts and culture be part of Chatham-Kent.

Slater said the facility is not there to be a money-maker, but to bring art to people.

The group talked about the positive and negative things about ARTspace, as well as provide ideas to help the gallery thrive in the future.