After sitting vacant for more than a decade, a former Chinese restaurant at the Duffy Shops is set to reopen as The Gallery Next Door. Photo: The Gallery Next Door.
The bright red door still hints at the building’s former life as a Chinese restaurant.
For years, it sat empty, another quiet reminder of a business that had come and gone. But from August, it will welcome visitors once again – this time not for dinner, but for contemporary art.
Every weekend, Canberra artist Jennifer Baird would walk past the building on her way to get coffee and imagine what it could become.
“I always looked at the old Chinese restaurant while having my coffee and thought, ‘This could be a great space for a gallery’,” she told Region.
Then one day, a For Lease sign appeared in the window.
“It was now or never,” Jennifer said.
For Jennifer, that moment meant leaving the security of a full-time job and taking a leap into something she’d dreamed about for years. On August 1, that dream becomes reality when The Gallery Next Door opens in the heart of the Duffy Shops.
“There is never really a right time to open a bricks-and-mortar business and yes, it is a challenging time for small businesses,” she said.
“But I know if I don’t do this there will always be the ‘what if?’ or ‘if only?’ questions. I don’t want to have any regrets.”
For someone who has lived in Canberra for 17 years, Jennifer’s routine had long included Duffy.
“I would go down every weekend and have a coffee. I love the vibe there – so relaxing,” she said.
“Everyone is having a good time. The kids and parents, the cyclists finishing their ride with a coffee, the different groups meeting and of course the dogs – and their people. It is a strong community.”
Rather than opening another gallery in the city or Braddon, Jennifer wanted to bring art to a suburb built around the community.
“Canberra is built on suburban hubs,” she said.
“A creative space gives the community somewhere to gather, enjoy the arts, maybe join a workshop or an art group. It also gives artists who might never exhibit in a city gallery the confidence to show their work close to home, surrounded by local support.”
Canberra artist Jennifer Baird has left the security of a full-time job to pursue her dream of opening The Gallery Next Door in Duffy. Photo: Jennifer Baird.
After three decades as a practising artist, Jennifer believes Canberra has no shortage of creative talent. The challenge, she says, is creating more opportunities for artists to be seen.
While established galleries remain an important part of the city’s arts scene, gaining exhibition space can be daunting for emerging artists, often requiring extensive proposals and years spent building a profile through group exhibitions, cafés and art prizes.
“Working hard, never giving up – that’s important,” she said.
“You have to build a tough skin and always believe in yourself.”
The response to her own leap of faith suggests the appetite already exists.
“Oh my goodness, it’s been amazing – and a little overwhelming,” she laughed.
“Weston Creek has waited a long time for a gallery space. So many people have approached me wanting to exhibit, especially group shows. There’s obviously a gap here and certainly no shortage of enthusiasm.”
The Gallery Next Door will showcase painters, ceramicists, sculptors, glass artists and local makers, with its opening exhibition, Where We Meet, featuring impressionist painter Valentyna Crane and ceramicist Elena Bozhko-Marshall.
Inspired by familiar Weston Creek landmarks – including the local dog park and the Duffy café where Jennifer first imagined the gallery – the exhibition celebrates the ordinary places where communities come together.
It seems like a fitting beginning.
After years of wondering what might sit behind the bright red door, Jennifer hopes it will become more than a gallery. She hopes it becomes another reason for the Duffy community to stop, meet and linger.
