It is no surprise that the daughter of two renowned artists is an artist in her own right!
Thea Reid recently opened Locus Gallery on Wellington St to much fanfare from family, friends from far flung places, and followers of her work.
The first exhibition – Cut Paper Play – features Thea’s own work from the past several years as well as cut paper collages made by her father, Stuart Reid. Stuart created the art at their family home in Toronto, when Thea was in her early teens. When she figured out that her dad was roughly the same age she was when she created the pieces that currently grace the gallery walls, she decided this was a great way to launch her new venture.
“While the artwork is obviously quite different, the synchronicities are also striking,” says Thea.
Thea is a seasoned printmaker. By now her custom ‘made-in-Montreal’ etching press has likely been delivered to her studio and with this unit on site she plans to offer classes to share her craft and stimulate the creativity of budding artists. Thea is all about community and is excited most for this element of her business to take off.
After a degree in English Literature at UBC, Thea made her way to the east coast to study printmaking and photography at Nova Scotia College of Art and Design in Halifax. From there she went on for her Masters of Fine Art at the Cranbrook Academy of Art in Michigan. This segwayed into teaching art at Oakland Community College and also Saginaw Valley State University. With teaching experience under her belt, Thea had a full-circle moment when she returned to Halifax to teach printmaking at the school that taught her the craft. Thea loves the relationship that builds between teacher and student and looks forward to sharing her class programming soon.
One of the many, many impactful pieces of art that Stuart Reid has created is Zones of Immersion, the 500-foot long glass wall between two subway platforms at Toronto’s Union Station. (Now that we have the GO train direct to Union, you can check it out!) Stuart also taught at OCAD University in Toronto for 30 years. Very fitting as he is the great nephew of the famous artist G.A.Reid, the very first principal of OCAD in 1912!
Thea’s mother is Dr Doreen Balabanoff, an artist, designer, educator and researcher who also taught for many years at OCAD University. Her brother, too, is an award-winning actor and singer, and has performed on our Festival stage!
Between her Toronto roots and where her parents reside now, Bayfield, Thea has decided to lay down some roots in between in Stratford, home to an extraordinary number of people who participate in and appreciate the arts in all forms.
When asked about the name of her gallery, Thea explained that “Locus is a Latin term that means a place, a fixed location, a region. But it also refers to “the place where something is situated or occurs” or “a centre of activity, attention, or concentration.” So, this perfectly references the notion Thea shared that she wants to be invested in a place – grounded and rooted. And offer her art space as a hub, community connector and a source of inspiration.
For more information, find Locus Gallery in our online directory!
