Susan McMinn and Tegan Wheeldon have combined their artistic experience to open a new art gallery in Bendigo.
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The Arnold Street Gallery will open this weekend and launch its first exhibition at the same time.
Ms McMinn said she had wanted to open her own gallery for a long time.
“Tegan and I went to university together and have been working side by side for more than 10 years,” she said.
“We did our post-graduate degrees together then and went off separately to do different jobs.
“When we decided to get back into art and I looked for studio space and started off over the road but had to abandon project, so I found space in Bridge Street and then found this.”
It has taken a year for the pair to be less than a week away from opening their exhibition space which is located in an old milk bar at 189 Arnold Street.
“The guy who owns it, his parents ran it as a milk bar but it has been a few different things over the years,” Ms McMinn said.
“We wanted a studio space and a gallery side of it. Both of us are continuing to develop our art practice and teaching as well.
“I like industrial-type of feel it has. It has a raw sense about it.”
The first exhibition to featured at the Arnold Street Gallery is Belinda Eckermann’s (un)Controlled.
“Belinda was a colleague of ours at university. She did a masters at La Trobe and now teaches at a school in Rainbow and has a gallery there as well,” Ms McMinn said.
Ms Eckermann’s work features aspects of snails.
The exhibition includes an installation features pieces of paper that have been eaten away by snails over time.
“There is also a sound that people hear in the gallery that is the sound of snails eating the paper that is part of the installation,”
“Belinda also likes to use lots of different mediums like charcoal, acrylic and coffee.”
Ms McMinn and Ms Wheeldon are also interested in hearing from local artist who would like to exhibit their work.
“People can apply (to exhibit) on our website. What we choose will be based on the quality of work,” she said.
The Arnold Street Gallery officially opens on Saturday from 2pm. (un)Controlled is on display until July 31.
Rod Fyffe will open the exhibition on Saturday at 2pm.
For more information about the Arnold Street Gallery visit www.arnoldstreetgallery.com