(Cecilia Troy who was the curator behind the first Stittsville Free Little Art Library located at 1703 Stittsville Main Street stands with her display. The library is open for viewing and sharing of artwork. Photos: Stittsville Central.)
A resident of Stittsville since 2004, Cecilia Troy, an artist, has curated a new library in the community – the Stittsville Free Little Art Gallery. The front-yard display located at 1703 Stittsville Main Street will operate as a free little library. If you see a piece of art you like, feel free to take it home or if you would like to contribute to the display, leave a piece of art. You can also do both.
You can easily find this new Free Little Art Gallery as it is located in front of the beautiful garden berm that Cecilia and her husband Dave have diligently created since 2010. When the new development was built next door at Trechelle Private, the couple had some of the dirt brought to their property. Dr. Nils Olsen who had lived on the land with his family for many years, and being an avid gardener, would be proud to see his soil put to good use. The berm itself was formed by Jason’s Landscaping.
There is also a bit of history to the property as it once was a garden centre. Clare and Mona Thompson in the 1960s/early 70s ran a full garden centre that had greenhouses running the back of the property with many ornamental, deciduous and coniferous trees planted throughout the lot – some still stand today – as far as backyards on Sunray Crescent. Their customers came from across the valley to purchase their quality flowers and trees. If you wanted your summer annuals and perennials the Thompson’s Garden Centre was the place to visit, Christmas poinsettias were always in demand and their well-known trees were always in demand. Both Clare and Mona would be pleased to know that their property has come full circle with the beautiful garden berm for all to admire at the Troy’s home. After closing the business, Clare and Mona sold the property to Bob Villeneuve, a local mechanic who serviced many cars from our area.
About the berm, Cecilia told us, “I wanted a garden and privacy from the road without building a fence and I wanted an area to display my garden art. The pieces in the garden are not for sale, but I will have several available at Bloomsfest, at Whitehouse Perennials, from July 21-31″. The berm itself is well worth a visit with a crushed stone pathway to guide you through the various colourful plants, flowers, shrubs and trees. You never know what piece of art that Cecilia has created will appear amid the greenery. It would be appreciated if you please ask for permission before taking a walk on the pathway.
Cecilia shared, “there are a few Free Little Art Gallery displays in the area, but this is a first for Stittsville. I am so happy to bring the community together and would love for everyone to come by and look inside to see the talented artworks of our local artists or add their own piece to the display. If there is something in the display you quite like, do help yourself, as more artists will be filling those empty spots”. “Feel free to park in our driveway,” she added.
Donations of art for the Free Little Art Gallery have been received from Stittsville artists Linda Begin, Jane Singleton Baxter, Dulce Tapp and others, as well as artists from Ottawa and as far away as Wisconsin with Marte Hepburn’s contribution.
The little library building itself was constructed by Brendan Troy, Alair Homes in Belleville, Dave and Cecilia Troy. The bench you will see is repurposed from leftover marble and was wet saw cut by Stittsville resident Ben Thomas. Andrew Cole of Cole Media Group, generously donated the signage and the plexiglass window for the door. Diversity is shared through the art ‘patrons’ who were very generously donated by Sylvie Guillemette Wasson from Wintergreen Learning Materials.
Cecilia encourages local artists to submit art to the gallery – sketches, watercolour, needlework, mixed media, collage, to name a few and preferably in a 6”X6” format to The Stittsville Free Little Art Gallery, 1703 Stittsville Main Street, Stittsville, Ontario K2S 1N6. Include information on your piece such as your name, your location and if you have an Instagram handle, Cecilia will tag you when it is placed in the gallery. You can also use the drop box on site to submit your artwork.
Donations will also be accepted soon to offset some of the related costs for the artists and gallery. There is a drop box located just a few steps away from the Stittsville Free Little Art Gallery where you will be able to donate. Any amount will be graciously accepted. We’ll keep you up-to-date when this begins, but for now art is being dropped off in the drop box.
To follow Cecilia, you can visit her website at www.artifiedliving.com or you can follow the Stittsville Free Little Art Gallery on Instagram.
Here is the QR code to take you directly to Cecilia’s Instagram page if you have an account:
This is one ‘little’ and locally created art display you don’t want to miss out on. We recommend highly that you take the time to visit or participate by submitting your art for all to enjoy.