aceartinc. is equipping emerging artists with the resources they need to bring their work to the foreground. Chantel Mierau, the finance and administration manager at ace, gave her thoughts upon hearing the artist-run centre had won favourite local gallery.

“I’m really honoured that we’ve been chosen. It tells us that the programming has engaged the community and resonates with a lot of people,” Mierau says.

aceart is a free, contemporary gallery with objectives that go beyond exhibiting local and international artists to include providing “community resources” and “professional development opportunities” in “a safe space that fosters activism and empathy,” according to their website.

“This year, in the main gallery, we have five local artists exhibiting,” Mierau says. “Emerging artists and artists from queer, Indigenous and underrepresented communities are core to our mandate, whether that’s through exhibits or talks.

“We also have benefits for artists who become members to take advantage of ace’s facilities, and we’re very interested in supporting artists from LGBTQ+ and BIPOC communities. That’s very near and dear to ace’s heart.”

In terms of what to expect from a visit to aceart, Mierau says “we’re run by artists, and we’re also free to the public, so anyone can feel free to wander around and spend as much time as they want
with the artwork. We have exhibitions in our main gallery, as well as our Flux gallery, and we have a newly refurbished library with art periodicals and books, not to mention performance nights and other community events.”

aceart welcomes first-timers to feel at home.

“I want to encourage people who maybe haven’t been to a gallery before or only been to the WAG to come and check us out,” Mierau says. “There is a lot going on in the visual arts in the city hiding just below the surface.”

Published in Volume 73, Number 12 of The Uniter (November 29, 2018)