Art, music, hula hooping: Gallery 244’s Carnival showcases creative community
Sue and Chres Jensen, owners of Gallery 244 in Brooklyn, are holding a Carnival at the gallery on Saturday from 1 to 5 p.m. (Rick Conrad)
Since Sue and Chres Jensen moved to Nova Scotia from Alberta three years ago, they’ve carved out a distinctive space for the creative community at their gallery in Brooklyn.
And they’re using it to host an event called Carnival that’s just as unique on Saturday.
The owners of Gallery 244 are planning to showcase art, music, poetry, henna body art, laser engraving, hula hooping and even some osteopathy at the free event. And food truck Mama Pita will be onsite too.
Sue Jensen, who is also a musician, said she wanted the event to be as individual as their gallery and the other artists they’ve met.
“I wanted to do something that would be different,” she said Wednesday.
The couple live in East Port Medway, and opened the gallery a couple of years ago, turning a building that used to be a gas station into a space that now features work from half a dozen local artists. It also features a cozy music room in the old service station’s attached garage.
Saturday’s carnival will feature Sue and other musicians playing throughout the afternoon.
Chres says they want their gallery to be a welcoming place for anybody who creates.
“This acts like a mini hub for artists and people to stop in, play music, talk about art, or literature, try to be creative. It’s growing every year.”
Chres works in different media, but with a distinct musical theme. Many of his pieces feature deconstructed string instruments like guitars or ukuleles in sometimes whimsical, sometimes elaborate scenes. Since they opened the gallery, he says, many people have donated their old guitars for his art.
“It’s worked for us really well. My studio where I came from, maybe it’s as big as this room which is 16 by 20 and I have eight, nine, 10 times more space (here).”
Chres says the couple quickly realized the abundance of artists of all kinds in the area.
“Even Brooklyn as a small microcosm is a vibrant arts community. We have a wood carver here, we have MJ (Dominey) and she paints and this lady over here she has crafts. And then you expand it to Liverpool, it’s just a dynamic area for arts and music.”
That’s what they hope to showcase on Saturday from 1 to 5.
And don’t forget the hula hooping. A friend of theirs is a hula hooper, so they invited her to demonstrate her craft. And then a few other people contacted them to do the same thing.
“We have a dark horse who’s too shy to advertise but is actually a freak hula hooper,” Sue says. “It was just a fun (thing), maybe the kids will bring their hula hoops.”
That co-operation and collaboration are some of the things the couple love about their new community.
“Everybody just seems to be working together so that everybody can have fun and be creative,” Chres says.
Saturday’s event is also a fundraiser for the Mill Village fire department. Sue says they have just one goal for the carnival.
“For people to participate, that’s our goal. To show up, to see what’s here. … We just want them to come. If you want to watch, watch, if you want to participate, participate.”
The gallery is at 3549 Highway 3 in Brooklyn. For more information, you can check out Gallery 244 on Facebook or their website at gallery244.com.
Email: rickconradqccr@gmail.com
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