Ortona Gallery
The Ortona Gallery is curated and operated by Michael Caskenette and host the Artist in Residency (AIR) program. The Gallery is 16’ x 25’ + 14’ high and is located on the 2nd floor of the Ortona.
From its inception the gallery was designed as a no profit entity, as opposed to a non-profit society, an official designation that came with too many strings. Any and all sales or disbursements went to the artist.
I moved into a studio in the Ortona Armoury on November 15, 1993. A few months passed and I realized the room next to mine was unoccupied. I was able to lease it and started to see a future for the entire building as an artist run studio and exhibition space.
The Gallery was meant to open in January 1995. I decided to repair a small hole in the upper wall that showed up after I tore down the dropped ceiling and after examining the problem, I realized there was a beautiful and massive wood beam truss construction hidden under the ancient drywall. It took a month to tear off the upper walls, unearth the beams and sand to expose the wood.
The Ortona Gallery opened on February 8th, 1995 with “Skin Deep” a solo exhibition of paintings and prints by Marlena Wyman. (Marlena has gone on to become a highly regarded artist and prominent fixture in Alberta’s cultural milieu.)
No rules, no prisoners.
For more information about the Gallery: ortonagallery@gmail.com
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