By Betty Bardswich
PROVIDENCE BAY—Nancy McDermid was a very happy person on June 3 as she was not only showcasing her paintings and photos on canvas in the beautiful Mutchmor Galleries building in Providence Bay, she was also in the structure where her great uncle started the first Home Hardware on the Island.
“I just really wanted to be in this building,” Ms. McDermid told The Recorder as she displayed a unique yardstick she had found while prepping the spacious area dubbed Oriole Arts Studio and Gallery which she shares with Erin-Blythe Reddie, Jan McQuay, Ursula Hettman and Detlef Heiser. The numbers on the measuring stick read from right to left, unlike the ones we are used to, and the phone number on it reads 2-R 211.
As well as Ms. McDermid’s work, this part of the revamped building holds Ms. Reddie’s art which features Haiku, an ancient Japanese form of poetry, her lovely beaded scarves, unique notepaper and much more. Ms. McQuay has a beautiful display of her pottery on hand with a new item, a bowl with holes in it, perfect for rinsing, and then, along with the matching saucer, serving strawberries or cherries or such. Part of the wall is adorned with her exceptional photographs.
Mr. Heiser, a Manitoulin woodworker, has several of his Shaker oval boxes on display. As he explained, the wooden boxes were an innovation of the Shakers – a religious sect that emigrated from England to the Eastern Seaboard of the United States and he carefully handcrafts reproductions of these boxes using the same techniques and materials that were used in the mid 1700s.
Ms. Hettman, a very well known Manitoulin artist, has exhibited her fine jewellery worked in silver and gold in the gallery and offers her one of a kind clothing.
Ms. McDermid and Ms. Reddie expressed their gratitude to Mutchmor Galleries owner Matt Garniss and his partner Bridget Sarpong for their vision. “We committed early,” Ms. McDermid explained, “because we knew this would be a success,” as she went on to talk about the large communal table in the main room that was made from repurposed wood and where former Home Hardware owner Toots McDermid was sitting with every seat filled for the soft opening of the restored building.
Dianne Kennedy Cuttenden, owner of The Sheepish Grin, is also very happy to be part of the new outstanding building. She is a fibre artist; a weaver and spinner and tapestry artist who is awed by the work that went into the revamping of the original structure. “It has just been fantastic,” she enthused. “The work that Matthew has done is just amazing. I think it is a really good mix in that it is high end and a complimentary mix.” Ms. Kennedy Cuttenden offers customers hand woven clothing such as ponchos and shawls, hand dyed wool as well hand dyed and hand spun articles and one can watch her measuring the wool, then on to the loom and from there to the spinning wheel.
On Island time? Then Island Home Outfitters, dealing in rustic home decor, bears checking out with its large number of items for the cottage. Rissa’s provides candles and soaps while there are decorated wine glasses and skates, a small Christmas tree covered with ornaments, comic books in their plastic sleeves, NBA collectible figures, bow ties, pillows made from vintage Hudson Bay Company blankets and old and new LP’s for that revitalized music genre are available. Greg Voisin has beautiful pottery with awesome coffee mugs on display. “Each piece is handmade in my home studio,” he writes, “and the hand drawn images are meant to warm your heart as much as they are meant to warm your leftovers.”
There are several items available bearing the name of Pendleton Woolen Mills, in business since 1863. These articles, bearing the name The American Indian College Fund Collection, include jacquard robes and towels and a fabulous weekender bag. The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF), established in 1924, has reissued caps, bags and T-shirts designed by Red Canoe National Heritage Brands.
Adorning the large wall in the main section of the building are paintings by Ann Beam who is joined by Anong Beam and Linda Williamson to showcase their artistic accomplishments. Ann has a large acrylic on canvas on display with the words, “He lifted me” included in the painting while Allie Croza showcases her handmade goods which are made of concrete and include flowerpots.
The Mutchmor Galleries also holds the Peace Café where great coffee is available as lattes, cappuccinos, Americanos, espresso and so on, and, as this writer can attest, really, really good oatmeal raisin cookies. There are also healthy juices available and distinctive jams such as kiwi with lemon.
By all accounts, the opening of the Mutchmor Galleries exceeded all expectations. “The opening was fantastic,” Ms. Sarpong enthused. “We have had an overwhelming amount of positivity.”
The hours of this exceptional enterprise are 8:30 am to 5:30 pm seven days a week. And don’t forget to check out the awesome mural which covers the outside wall facing Lake Huron.
