Propeller Art Gallery turns 25

This article originally appeared on ARToronto.ca

by Emese Krunak-Hajagos (EKH)
Interview with Frances Patella (FP), Partnerships Chair & Artscape Liaison on the occasion of PAG 25

Interview with Frances Patella

I remember visiting the newly opened Propeller Gallery on Spadina one sunny Saturday afternoon in 1996. The light from the window made the place hot and it was so small that the attendant sat halfway out in the hallway. Through its 25 years the gallery came a long way in terms of location, membership and artistic improvement.

EKH: What was your original vision of the gallery in 1996? Do you think you fulfilled it?

FP: I was not one of the originals, but the vision was to have a space to show your work and have support from other artists of the group.  I think that vision has been fulfilled and then some!

EKH: The first sentence in your mission statement: Artists empowering Artists emphasizes an active artists’ community where members exchange ideas and help each other grow artistically. Please explain the meaning of the mission statement and give some examples of how it is realized.

FP: “Artists empowering artists” came out of a session where Propeller members were invited to set the stage for the next few years – a bit of a polish to our brand, so to speak.  We realized that we had numerous members who had years of experience in the arts and we wanted to share that experience in order to help “propel” artists to succeed in their endeavours.  We wanted to give artists who didn’t have experience in gallery showings a place where they would be supported, from curatorial selection, to hanging a show, to having a successful opening and show. There were many members who had shown in commercial and public galleries and knew the challenges that come with those venues. We wanted a place where we didn’t have to conform to the commercial galleries visions of what was art that sells. But we also wanted to encourage artists to go out and have commercial representation, especially once they got their feet wet at Propeller, which numerous artists were able to do. We didn’t want to limit what artists could do as numerous commercial galleries did have restrictions.

EKH: How do you select your members? What do you think is about the gallery that draws young artists to apply?

FP: We have developed criteria to select members – basically we look at the originality of the work, the technical aspects and the overall quality of a series of work. We have a group of members, different for every selection meeting, who view and vote. I think our approachability, our gallery space, our paid Director and our members draw other artists to apply.

EKH: How do the exhibitions get organized as you hardly ever have solo shows? How do you select the two artists for a dual show? 

FP: We do have solo shows, however many artists choose to exhibit with one or two other artists, mainly for financial reasons, or more exposure to different people. The artist who signs up for a solo show has the option of inviting others to show with them. If it’s a group show, the lead artist(s) would then submit a proposal for the selection members to consider.

EKH: Could you please tell us more about your collaborations with other galleries and art organizations? 

FP: We have had numerous collaborations and that comes about due to an artist member having the initiative to approach other galleries or venues, submitting a proposal and carrying it out.  We have shown as a selection of our members in art fairs, including Art Toronto, galleries outside Toronto, for example in Oakville, other venues, like the Metro Condo, the Theatre Centre, the Zoomer conference, restaurants among others.

EKH: Propeller Gallery was a great place on Queen Street West (2001-2014) with many wonderful exhibitions. One of my best memories are of the annual Black and White Balls. What are yours? What shows were the most outstanding at that location in your opinion?

FP: I also loved the Black and White Balls, initiated by former member Heather Gentleman, the dressing up, the fun. I also loved our annual Salon shows, initiated by myself and Keijo Tapanainen. We had so many people attend the Salons and B&W that we spilled onto to the street.

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I was also fond of the annual curated exhibitions – those were the most outstanding as guest curators initiated numerous themes that were very well received by the community. One example was the exhibition curated by Moses Znaimer where we had champagne in real champagne glasses (Moses later donated the glasses to Propeller).

EKH: Abell Street wasn’t the best location at first because of the ongoing construction on the street. What did you do in order to overcome that disadvantage and in spite of it run a successful gallery? I am sure the Off the Wall auctions is one of your most successful events to draw interest to the Abell Street location.

FP: We lost quite a few members when we moved to the Abell location as the street outside the gallery was closed and a bit of a mud pit. Thanks to Joseph Muscat, who was able to initiate a huge rent reduction from Artscape, (who had promised us a clear and open street) we were able to hang on until the construction was done.

We then had a members’ drive and encouraged numerous artists to join us.  Off the Wall was initiated by myself, after I attended a fundraiser organized by my daughter, Simone Collins, at Queens university. That initiative was called Cezanne’s Closet and students and teachers donated their work to the cause. Last year was one of Propeller’s most successful Off The Wall, thanks to the hard work of the OTW committee.

EKH: Hopefully everything will go back to normal or the “new normal” as the gallery reopens on August 5th. What are your future plans?

FP: We have had a couple of successful zoom openings and we have just opened to the public again. Propeller keeps going because there is a real need in the community as more commercial galleries close their doors. We are adding services to the membership, like the online openings and online store. New members bring new ideas and hopefully we will be able to keep going for another 25 years.

*Propeller Art Gallery, 30 Abell Street Toronto. Gallery hours: Wed – Sun 1 – 5:30 pm. Social distancing will be observed.

Propeller Art Gallery turns 25