Verdun's artist studios and gallery face eviction as lawyer pursues commercial conversion

Anne Jano opened her contemporary art gallery six years ago on the second floor of a Wellington Street building in Verdun that also houses the Bar Social and Chez Robin market. Gallery JANO has represented artists like Caroline Boileau and Carole Baillargeon, hosting rotating exhibitions in a spare, light-filled space.

On the same floor, 14 small studios—arranged like cubicles—are occupied by artists in production. Doune Patricia Thèbe discovered the space through a Desjardins-subsidized research-creation residency program. "It was to study sculptural lace," she said, showing her studio. "I'm learning needle lace, and it's a technique I'm adapting in metal." She stayed after the residency ended, eventually taking a full-time studio and working as an assistant to established artist Laïla Mestari. "We've built a nice community," Thèbe said.

Tara Lynn MacDougall, who works in the adjacent studio, agreed. "I've met so many people. It generates creativity." Her recent work includes a quilt "to rent" that references the housing crisis.

That community is now in jeopardy. Residents began receiving unannounced visits from potential buyers months ago. Upon listening to these visitors' conversations, Jano and her tenants understood the intent: convert the studios into offices. In June, lawyer David Bessette—whose law office is nearby on Wellington—proposed offering Jano a "small part" of the space if she left by July. She refused and demanded a six-month minimum notice period.

In a text exchange reviewed by Le Devoir, Bessette wrote: "After this period of six months, there will be no longer be occupation possible. Furthermore, you will have to remove the divisions and other amenities at your expense, in accordance with the law." Bessette did not respond to the Devoir's calls and emails. Current owner Jonathan Champagne, who operates the IGA Gérard Champagne in Verdun, also did not respond.

The uncertainty is already affecting the gallery's operations. The search for new, affordable studio space in Montreal is proving difficult—another chapter in the city's ongoing artist displacement.