Nestled away in Hamilton’s Bayfront neighbourhood sits a 4-storey studio space many local artists call home — but next month, it may be nothing more than a former husk of itself.
Melanie Cheung has been renting out space at 29 Harriet Street for a year, with a lease set to expire in February 2025.
On Friday, she was notified that that was no longer the case. She and the 25 other artisans who share the spare were emailed to learn that the art collective run by Centre 3 and Aeon Studio Group was ending.
“It said that the building had sold and that they had just learned this news … and that a part of the stipulation of the sale would be that we would have to vacate by August 15th,” she says.
Many of the artists are disappointed over the short notice and lack of communication.
“I wish we had more transparency on the issue,” Chris Perez says. “I would like to know who’s going to take over the building, what use they’re going to have, and if there’s any implications to have artists working in the space.”
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Cheung says it may be too late to do anything with this building, but she’s hoping there could be more dedicated spaces for artists to work from elsewhere in the city.
She adds that Centre 3 will be holding a meeting with all of the tenants inside 29 Harriet Street but has yet to hear back on when.