Funding needed to bolster art education at St. Marys Station Gallery

It was a busy summer at St. Marys Station Gallery as curator Duncan Macdonald led art programs and gallery exhibitions.

By Alex Hunt

St. Marys Station Gallery is calling on the community for support as it expands its art education programs, seeking funding to hire instructors and make its growing activities more sustainable.

“I need funding specifically to help fund what’s going on here for a couple of reasons, and one of them being so I can hire a couple of instructors instead of me doing all the instruction, which is currently happening, so I can focus on some other things,” said Duncan MacDonald, curator/director at St. Marys Station Gallery. 

“Right now, I’m running everything here including the gallery curating, directing, teaching and planning. I really enjoy it but there’s a need for fundraising so I can get some people in here and pay them to help out with the operations.”

MacDonald said the gallery’s education programs are highly specialized, and delivering them effectively requires the right instructors. MacDonald added he has ideas for a few qualified candidates but needs funding to bring them on board. In June, he reached out to the Rotary Club of St. Marys for support in exploring naming rights, a donation model in which an organization’s name is attached to the program in recognition of their contribution.

“The gallery does have sponsors that help us out, but we are just needing to bolster things right now. I’ve been searching around and did a bunch of grant writing and funding institutions in the past,” said MacDonald. “We need to find a way to work with the town to implement a way that people can donate and get tax receipts from them.”

“This place has changed a lot since I showed up; the amount of activity that happens here is like three or four times more than it was two or three months ago.” 

MacDonald led programming on his own all throughout the summer for younger children in the mornings, older youth in the afternoons, and sometimes adults in the evenings on top of curating exhibitions. To make the operation more sustainable, he is focusing on securing funding that would provide additional support and reduce reliance solely on volunteers.

MacDonald adds that he’s looking for additional volunteers to support the gallery. Those interested can contact the gallery directly, and prior experience is not required, as he provides coaching and guidance.

Volunteers who enjoy engaging with the community and visitors are particularly valued, whether it’s to help with greeting guests, discussing the artwork, or assisting during gallery events and meetings.

“If you’re in the arts, you’re having to work creatively and also in instantly indifferent ways, but at the same time, I’m doing a bunch of work that’s not really getting paid for,” said MacDonald.

“I think a lot of arts organizations work in a way that’s not sustainable, but they make it work. It’s just a matter of getting paid for the work. That’s the thing that we need to focus on.”