Fine art lovers rejoice – the Cascade Art Gallery re-opens next week, on Thursday 29 February. Owners Kareen Anchen and Jeff Gardner were putting the finishing touches to their gallery space when the [Tarrangower] Times visited this week, with a stonemason and a stained glass specialist at work on the historic building in Fountain Street.
The fine art Gallery’s opening will be a boost for the town of Maldon, which has been feeling the pinch with the temporary closure of the Kangaroo hotel, the loss of a restaurant and the impending closure of Le Sel. And it goes without saying that having the Cascade Gallery back on track is a real shot in the arm for the art world.
Over the next two years, the Gallery will be hosting 14 exhibitions which will in the main be the solo work of some well known artists. These will have a seasonal theme, starting next Thursday with a series of new paintings by Liz Sullivan titled Wild Parterre.
It has been 23 years since Jeff and Kareen moved to Maldon and set up their gallery and framing workshop out on the Bendigo Road. Over the years, their business model has changed in response to the economic environment as well as their own artistic goals. Remember the Cascade Print Room in Main Street? That was definitely one of the high points in Maldon’s retail history.
Ten years ago, Kareen and Jeff bought the old Methodist Church property, moved into the Sunday School building and set up the church as a gallery. And then, in 2020, along came Covid. Not that Jeff and Kareen wasted any time – they switched all their energies and attentions to renovating.
“We’ve renovated from roof to foundations,” Kareen said. And it has been a huge job – the church and Sunday School had been virtually untouched since they were built in the mid-19th century. “I feel as though we have been renovating since we moved up here,” Kareen joked. “It has been an insane amount of work!”
Kareen’s and Jeff’s efforts have borne much fruit – the block is now terraced and there is a thriving garden. The gallery space inside the old church has been increased and there is now room for storage and a kitchenette. With its cool white walls and beautiful woodwork, the Gallery is a wonderful space.
In the Sunday School building, work continues on completing Kareen’s and Jeff’s living and studio areas. They share their home with Milton, a very special 20-year-old one-eyed cat that was given to them by Rita and Greg Bosaid, when they sold the parsonage.
Always busy, always buzzing with ideas and enthusiasm, Kareen and Jeff are looking forward to the challenge of the next two years. From Robert McLaurin to Dean Bowen and Judy Holding to Dave Frazer, the list of exhibiting artists that have been lined up for the Gallery over the next two years is impressive.
The plan is to close the Gallery in July, August and January. This will give Kareen and Jeff time to pursue their own artistic interests. Jeff somehow manages to fit poetry, painting, drawing, printmaking and creating children’s books into his schedule, but Kareen obviously needs a big chunk of free time in order to get back to painting. “Freelance art writing is as much as I can fit in at the moment,” she said. With residencies at Dunmoochin and in Paris under her belt, here’s hoping that this talented artist finds the time one of these days!
This article appeared in the Tarrangower Times, 23 February 2024.
