Saint John is about to get a new fine art, craft and jewelry gallery, or an old one, depending on how you look at it. Today, it was announced that Spicer Merrifield Gallery would be taking up residence in Saint John’s Old City Hall building at 116 Prince William Street, bringing a part of the city’s art scene full circle.
The building is best known for being the city’s former city hall, used by the City of Saint John from 1879 until the construction of the current city hall in 1971, but the building has had a handful of occupants since then. Those include a lawyer’s office, Scheherazade Books & Music and, once upon a time, the original home of Handworks Gallery. Shannon Merrifield, one of two co-owners of the new Spicer Merrifield Gallery, purchased Handworks Gallery in 2001.
“I always loved the space,” says Merrifield. “It was where I first fell in love with the artwork and the original Home of Handworks. I was in Grade 10, saw the window filled with wonder and went in. It was there I met Tandi Hooper Clark for the first time. And the rest is history – almost two decades in.”
Merrifield would sell Handworks Gallery in 2013 (it has since changed hands again) and launched the Buckland Merrifield Gallery with Saint John artist and gallerist Peter Buckland in 2015 in the newly renovated Canterbury Carpark building. The gallery hosted an impressive roster of artists, including Paul Mathieson, Suzanne Hill, James Wilson, Herzl Kashetsky, Romeo Savoie, and Stephen Scott.
When Buckland retired at the end of 2017 after a career that spanned 36 years and more than 250 exhibitions, not only did he leave the industry he also left his name on the business.
When it came time to make some changes, Merrifield began speaking with goldsmith and jeweller Gary Spicer about jointly pursuing the new endeavour.
“Gary is well-known for 25 years of customer service and custom jewellery work. The partnership is synergistic and exciting. Especially now when there is a renewed spotlight on local service providers that have been working and contributing to the community for many years,” says Merriweather.
The location at 116 Prince William Street won’t be quite as it was when it last hosted an art gallery. Merrifield explains that the 141-year old space has been transformed over the last year, having undergone extensive renovations to accommodate the new business in an appropriate style.
“We are very excited to bring Saint John a gorgeous space that will be filled with beautiful things. Our focus will be to showcase the best of the best of maritime art, craft and jewellery. Not only will the gallery show professional contemporary artists and jewellers, but it will also showcase several high-end jewellery houses, including Birks and Gucci.”
“We are proud to be able to offer Saint John a gallery/boutique that would shine in any cosmopolitan center,” says Spicer. “We truly have incredible talent and now is the time to celebrate our artists and craftspeople. This paired with our high-end fashion houses and custom one of kind works by our well-known goldsmiths at Spicer Jewellery will be a knockout.”
Spicer Merrifield Gallery plans to open in August 2020, with a focus on local shopping due to COVID- 19, and a website launch to allow for virtual shopping and art exhibitions, but hopes to welcome people into their brick and mortar location soon. The gallery will be kicking off with an inaugural art show sponsored by the GNB titled “Surviving the Pandemic” late in the month, which can be view both on-site and the webpage.
Spicer Merrifield: WEB | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM-