STUDIO RENTAL INFORMATION
Who is organizing the Collective?
My name is Allison Billings and I’ve been a full time artist under the name Rogue Goat for the last 13 years. I have also made different bodies of work as well as been employed and an active volunteer in community arts engagement over the years. Community arts engagement, as I would explain it , is less about a public art gallery’s pursuit of the dissemination of high level work or a retail gallery’s saleability focus, and more about meeting people where they are and inviting them to create and appreciate art. I have designed private school art extracurriculars, worked with Chamber s of Commerce, Business Improvement Areas, municipalities and organizations to create arts based experiences in public areas, administrated arts education programs and co operative gallery spaces and designed and facilitated community arts events, like mural projects, collaborative arts projects, etc. I consider myself a “bridge” person…I listen, identify opportunities and create mechanisms to link resources to arts learning to people.
I moved to Rothesay in December 2023 with my two sons, Taryn, age 11, and Raiden, age 19 (and our pets!). Our move was precipitated by the death of my husband in September 2022. Everything about our life changed in an instant and we needed to lean into writing new chapters to our story. I had always wanted to move east and decided the time was now, discovered Rothesay Netherwood School and felt it would be the perfect place for Taryn to heal and thrive. He applied and was accepted and that set our course…and then the train station came up for rent. For the first few months of our life here I have used the Ladies Waiting room as my studio while the building was in negotiations for sale. Sadly, that deal fell through completely this summer and I chose to take the leap and lease the entire building with the Collective in mind.
The idea for the Collective rests on my experience with community arts, the practical need for studio spaces, my understanding of how heritage buildings can be turned into thriving cultural assets, even when privately owned, a desire to settle into our new life here and a respect for the quiet, residential nature of our neighbourhood.
RENTAL QUERY FORM
FAQs
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Each lease is a six month fixed term, renewable tenancy. First month’s rent and a security deposit of equal to a month’s rent is due upon signing the contract.
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No! But ideally you are working seriously in a creativity adjacent field. I have a broad interpretation of this, whether that means you actively produce work in a creative discipline or work to support creative industries.
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The Station House is a porous, heritage building. Although each studio has its own locking door, the mix of tenants must be compatible in practice and personality. As a secondary intent is to create a community arts nexus, the interests and resources of the participating studios in co-creating that is also of importance.
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Yes…and no. I am keenly aware of the work fluctuations that require long studio nights to meet deadlines or around other life constraints. There isn’t any restriction on being in your studio when you need to be. That being said, I also live here and sound transmits through the building. My preference is for other creative tenants who prefer to work within the hours of 8 am - 11 pm.
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While clients are welcome to visit your studio by appointment any time (preferably between 8 am - 8pm), these spaces are ideally for people who are primarily making work in their spaces. If there is an exhibition in the Gallery, it will only be open Thursday -Saturday 11 - 4 pm and during special events like open houses. Studio tenants are encouraged to restrict their walk in "retail" to those days as well.
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I will be having the current signage updated once the building reaches full occupancy and Town permits are granted. Due to the heritage character of the building and my own dislike of visual clutter, individual exterior signage will be limited to a “shingle” in the Station House font, hanging from the main sign under the front eave. The permit and cost of this sign is paid by the tenant and is also not mandatory.
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Yes. The building does not have a ventilation system and is therefore not suitable for solvent based practices like traditional oil painting. Heritage elements of the building like the original maple floors must be cared for, making it unsuitable for practices that create a lot of mess (ceramics etc).
None of the heritage elements can be painted or modified and the walls must be returned to the present colour of white.
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The community has a great deal of curiosity and connection to The Station House. Four times a year, I will promote and host Open Houses that invite visitors to the building and grounds. Studio tenants are welcome to participate and have their studio promoted as being open, but also do not need to. If your door is locked, you aren’t available. At all times the working nature of the creative studios will be upheld.
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Each studio space has access to the gallery and hall gallery for one full month in either June, July, August or September. You can use the space to present your own work, a collective of artists of your choosing or host an exhibit of your devising. You are responsible for all of the logistics including gallery sitting. Your exhibition will be promoted on the website and social media channels. You do not have to host an exhibition, just let me know you don’t want to.
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Yes. Each lease contract has an Agreement to some basic rules that help us all work productively and happily alongside each other, like music (silent disco mode please!), common space etiquette, open hours, parking spaces, etc.
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The Station House is not available for pop ups or rentals shorter in duration than six months.