ABOUT
Melt Studio and Gallery
Melt Studio and Gallery is located just outside Picton in a historical air force barracks in the former Camp Picton. Built in 1940 as part of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP). Seven hundred and one acres of land on the outskirts of Picton became the home of the Royal Air Force (RAF) where many young men from the Commonwealth trained in bombing and gunnery. Decommissioned in the 60s, many of these barracks are now workspaces for artists, carpenters and various local businesses. Melt Studio and Gallery is excited to become part of this vibrant creative community.
Melt Studio and Gallery is managed and run by Canadian encaustic artist Susan Wallis and is the home to her encaustic working studio. Susan is thrilled to be in this wonderful space and looks forward to showcasing her work in the gallery space along with a selection of other talented artists and artisans. Wallis is grateful to be assisted in curating the space by artist and art technician Vanessa Rieger.
Indigenous Peoples Land Acknowledgement:
Prince Edward County is the traditional territory of the Haudenosaunee, adjacent to the Kanien’keha:ka community of Tyendinaga. We thank all the generations of people who have taken care of this land for thousands of years. We recognize and deeply appreciate their historic connection to this land. Today, PEC is still home to many First Nations and Metis people, and we are grateful to have an opportunity to meet here, work, and continue stewardship on this land.
Mandate
Our gallery mandate is to foster and enhance public awareness, understanding, and appreciation for the positive cultural significance of the visual arts by showcasing all levels of visual artists and artisans through the exhibition. We aim to cultivate a supportive environment for the arts, by providing inexpensive gallery space and the opportunity to showcase works in a covid safe environment. Our rental gallery agreements come with various options so that we can tailor fees to the artist’s means to make accessibility our priority. Our gallery space is open and welcome to all artists and peoples regardless of their age, gender, orientation, backgrounds, etc. We have a zero-tolerance discrimination policy within our gallery to make this environment safe for all, attendees and artists alike.
The Space:
Melt has a working encaustic studio, one large open concept gallery space, two smaller project galleries, and one showroom.
Read Susan Wallis’ feature in In her Studio Magazine:
Listen below to hear artist and gallery owner Susan Wallis discuss her art practice and the story of how Melt was founded!