For centuries, arts collectives have created and exhibited work, often out of a group studio space.
The Louvre in Paris was such a collective during the French Revolution and Andy Warhol revolutionized pop art out of The Factory, his New York studio.
For the past two and a half years, Powell River has had its own creative hangout, an eclectic place conceived by a group of young artists who had the idea to come together as Kaleidoscope Collective. The storefront on Marine Avenue will be missed by many after the collective is evicted in January.
“When the news first came in, I was a bit sad,” said Kaleidoscope member Stefan Fogarty, also known as graffiti artist Catnip. “I got over it fast because it just means new beginnings.”
Where and when the collective will begin anew is unknown at this point, but it is important for the group to have a cooperative space, said Fogarty. They may be losing their current home but not their vision and reason for being, he added.
Even Warhol’s studio had three different locations while operating as an outrageous fixture on the New York arts scene from 1962 to 1984. For Kaleidoscope, it is time to move on.
According to Fogarty, Kaleidoscope began when a group of artists came together to create a movement, which is the purpose of an art collective.
About 13 people regularly come in and out of the space to make anything and everything artistic.
“They work together in this anachronistic sort of way,” said Fogarty, adding it was when space was found on Marine that the energy and kaleidoscope of creation grew, thus the name of the collective.
“We focused a lot on creating art and a space for artists to come and talk about everything in an underground headquarters,” he said. “A lot of magic happens here.”
According to Fogarty, the individuals thrive in the cooperative environment, inspired by each other’s ideas.
“We feed off each other,” he said. “We’re all quite young, into selling art and getting our art out there, so we collaborate a lot on ideas and help each other.”
Fogarty said the space brings an energy that is out of the norm. At any given time, passersby can see a painter on the sidewalk working on a new canvas, a maker of masks, a sculptor shaping metal or people milling about. Inside, items are for sale, including paintings, jewellery, photographs and clothing; even videos are produced.
But it is in the back room of the paint-splattered, jumbled space that the magic happens.
“We put an effort into creating an outward scene for the community,” said Fogarty. “It was kind of a joke for us at first, but then we realized how it was affecting everything. We saw how we could present us and other artists to the community in a positive way.”
Fogerty said he has spent 10 or 12 hours in the space almost every day.
“I get to see everything that happens, everything that fits together to make this thing work is really beautiful,” he said. “It’s like something no one person can own or control; there is no boss, it’s all of us working together.”
Fogarty said he has been able to create a career out of Kaleidoscope and everything in his life is just art now.
“It’s been super successful for me; I created my own job,” he said. “I could work, but I prefer to make art.”
