History

(an ongoing story…)

LooseCanonGallery constantly endeavours to promote and cultivate young emerging artists in an environment of freedom and exchange in Hamilton. The gallery is incredibly enthusiastic about being a part of a burgeoning cultural area on James St N.

Established in April of 2005, LooseCanonGallery is owned and operated by Dane Pedersen. As a Hamiltonian, Dane attended both Westdale High School and McMaster University. After completing a Bachelor of Arts (art history), Dane immediately set his sights on opening what will initially be a commercial gallery. Quickly, he found a home amongst the Jamesville residents and after collecting together several artists friends and acquaintances LooseCanon saw its inaugural year.

The gallery maintains much of its original charm easily seen at the entrance with tile work from its days as fish store and on the gorgeous tin moulded ceiling. For artists, the showroom is highly adaptable and under continuous improvement to allow for diversity. For the public, being virtually on the corner of James St. and Cannon St. makes LooseCanon highly visible to passing traffic and casual walkers. It also does not hurt to be close to several excellent restaurants offering a wide spectrum of delicious choices.  Parking be of little concern, as there is plenty of inexpensive places to park or simple grab a bus to Jackson Square and stroll down to Jamesville, which is quickly becoming one of the most interesting areas in Hamilton.

_______________________________________________________________________________

Significant changes have been occurring near James and Cannon since the opening of LooseCanon. The Artist Inc secured a location at the old Jerry’s Man Shop.  On the kitty-corner to that project MixedMedia arts supply store relocated from just south of its old location. Its flanking retail spaces were quickly rented to White Elephant Vintage, which celebrated its one year anniversary on the artcrawl in October 2009. The other business, Downtown Bike Hounds has asserted itself as the premier destination for bike culture in Hamilton. Empty buildings like 146 James North have been completely renovated for high end residential and commercial uses (becoming home to James South transplant, La Petite Spa). Mid 2009 brought further announcements of a condo development beside Acclamation Restaurant and Bar and next door a fast paced renovation of the old Hotel Hamilton into studio space and ground floor retail. The nightlife also saw some more options enter the community with the opening of a key music venue at This Ain’t Hollywood and in early 2010 the unveiling of the intimately cool, Brain.

During the 2009 submission process, LooseCanon took an introspective evaluation of its mandate. The opportunity and ability LooseCanon has to showcase emerging artists has not diminished. However, the up and coming rebirth of arts and culture in Hamilton has prompted a slight change in focus. LooseCanon has grown and so should its interaction with artists. As such LooseCanon will not only continue to support emerging artists but will challenge them to more broadly consider their interaction in Hamilton, their contribution to the city’s arts and culture and the quality of their engagement with those that enter the gallery.