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Familiar territory 

By Anna Sarkissian

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If you’re an emerging artist with hopes of exhibiting your work at an artist-run centre, join the club.

Fortunately, Les Territoires, a non-profit rental gallery in the Belgo Building, offers up-and-comers and even established artists like Raymonde April (see related story this issue) a unique alternative.

“Showing your work at an artist-run centre is free, so it’s very popular,” says MFA grad Josée Pedneault, who currently works for University Communication Services as a photographer and is one of the founders of the gallery. “We decided to have shorter exhibits of three weeks to give more people a chance.”

A team of four artists (all Concordia grads) and an art historian are now running the space formerly occupied by Galerie Thérèse Dion. When Dion passed away in 2007, her assistant Saada El-Akhrass joined forces with Jessica Auer, Anne-Renée Hotte, Chih-Chien Wang and Pedneault to create Les Territoires.

The gallery offers a complete package including a website, publicity, invitations and a press release. The rental fees go right back into running the gallery since there is only one paid staff member. Submissions are reviewed by a selection jury composed of professionals from the artistic community, critics and curators, among others.

“We’re young blood. We’re willing to take risks that others won’t,” says Hotte, who also works for CMS. “And we really understand the needs of emerging artists and creators.”

For info about upcoming exhibits, see their site.