Priest’s Mill Arts Centre Opens Boutique Gallery with Inspiring Gatherum

For the past year, the Priest’s Mill Arts Centre, PMAC, in Alexandria, North Glengarry, meticulously transformed a portion of the ground floor of the historic grist mill’s centre block into a first-class art gallery. The gallery is part of the PMAC’s multi-year member-funded rejuvenation strategy to become a self-sustaining creative hub where the community can participate in enriching creative experiences.

Although the gallery has a sleek modern aesthetic to best show off the artwork, it is unmistakenly rooted in the storied history of the old Moulain An T’ Saigart or Priest’s Mill. Work on refurbishing the rest of the space is underway to serve as a multipurpose studio and creative community hub.

PMAC introduced its newly revamped gallery to neighbouring artists at the start of summer. While the finishing touches were being applied, an omnium gatherum of 20 artists coalesced in the gallery to exhibit their works.

With a brimming collection of inspiring works, the PMAC Gallery is now ready to host the public. The gallery is open to the public on Fridays, Saturdays & Sundays from 10:00 to 17:00 (10 am to 5 pm). The collection of calibre works, spanning a range of media and styles is well worth a visit.

The inaugural exhibition — In the Company of… stone, art and fine crafts — celebrates the legacy of Father Alexander Macdonnell, who built the original grist mill in 1819 around which the Alexandria township developed. It’s also a celebration of the entrepreneurial spirit of the visionaries who rebuilt in 1902 after a devastating fire and the entrepreneurs who’ve taken care of and rejuvenated this characterful building in subsequent years.

North Glengarry and neighbouring communities are home to a rich diversity of artists who have, until now, not had a local gallery to exhibit and sell their works. “We thought it important for the PMAC Gallery’s cadre of artists to grow organically, primarily by word-of-mouth, at least for a start, to allow neighbouring artists the opportunity to engage before inviting artists from further afield to participate,” said Lourens Joubert, the Centre’s Executive Director.

It is evident that the refurbishment was carried out respectfully while making the building fit for its new purpose. “Working on this 122-year-old building that stood at the centre of Alexandria’s founding comes with a responsibility to honour the legacy of the pioneers who established our town and the entrepreneurs who’ve helped it flourish,” said Lourens. He added that the inaugural exhibition sets an aspirational tone for an exciting future and builds on the Priest’s Mill legacy.

As the gallery prepares to develop an exhibition and events roster for 2025, artists from the Champlain catchment and neighbouring communities are invited to reach out if they are interested in exhibiting.