Fredericton’s Newest Art Gallery Set To Open Saturday

Fredericton’s Queen Street is home to a variety of home-grown shops. Bakeries, boutiques and bookstores dot the neighbourhood with charm, making it a cultural haven for pedestrians who are anything but. Those with an eye for art and a taste for culture will soon be benefiting from what will complete Queen Street’s trifecta of galleries: Gallery on Queen.

After twenty-three years in high fashion retail, Nadia Khoury is on to her next venture. “I’m a businesswoman by nature. My husband and I ran three fashion clothing stores in Fredericton that were very popular for twenty-three years.” Although Khoury’s husband, Michael Khoury, will be involved in the gallery as an artist, this business is her own undertaking.

“I’m quite equipped. I have a great eye for art. I know good art to see it. I can sift between a hundred artists and I might choose five who are actually there. There is art that is undeniable. Once you see it, there’s something there that grabs you.”

So far, their list of artists includes Alan Syliboy, Chantal Khoury, Deanna Musgrave, Eveline Gallant Fournier, Jared Betts, Judy Blake, Lee Glaremont, Marie Fox, Melanie Matthews, Melissa LeBlanc, Michael Khoury, Vicky Lentz and Amy Ash. “I’m also reaching out to a couple artists in Vancouver now. I know the cost of shipping, but I think they’re worth having.”

Gallery on Queen (Bradley Parker/The East)

“I’m aiming to have less than thirty artists. There are galleries that have over a hundred artists with only two or three pieces each, so they are not well represented. I’d like to have thirty amazing artists and work on promoting and featuring them, and helping them in every way I can.”

Khoury has many ideas on how to make Gallery on Queen a destination, such as an emphasis on emerging artists, aboriginal artists and an educational component. “I’d like to do education on art more so than a commercial gallery. Rather than having exhibition openings, I’ll have shows where the artist will come and talk about their work. Eventually, I’d like it to be a place where students can come and be educated about what’s there. I’m testing the location to see how it goes.”

“I’m just going for what I really feel a good place for art will be. Obviously I would like to have three times the space, but the cost that’s involved is tremendous. Queen is the street for galleries. It’s a good stretch for people to just walk around.”