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feature | by Maureen Curtis Lower Lonsdale w a s once t h e hub of a little t o w n that w a s h e d up o n the w a t e r f r o n t a n d crept u p t h e n e w l y d e f o r e s t e d s l o p e t o b e c o m e N o r t h Vancouver. N o w w i t h r e d e v e l o p m e n t p o i s e d t o return t h e o l d city core to its former bustle, CityScape crest of this w a v e of change. W h e n floods of future tourists discover Lower Lonsdale o n e d a y s o o n , they'll find a well-established community art facility w i t h a unique situation. It's l o c a t i o n , partly b e l o w g r o u n d o n o n e o f t h e s t e e p e r portions of Lonsdale, lends a geometric aspect t o the entryway. Visitors walk d o w n a ramp and emerge into a space that is generous in height if not in its floor plan dimensions. A tall rectangular structure catches the eye and then guides people around t h e perimeter. These tourists w i l l also find a gallery created a r o u n d certain ideas a n d c o m m i t m e n t s . " W e d e c i d e d it w o u l d n o t be a p l a c e w h e r e p e o p l e talked in h u s h e d w h i s p e r s , " recalls Linda Feil, Executive Director of t h e N o r t h V a n c o u v e r C o m m u n i t y A r t s C o u n c i l . The gallery w o u l d b e o r i e n t e d t o w a r d s g r o u p s h o w s , w e l c o m e y o u t h a n d feature a strong interactive c o m p o n e n t . h a s kept t o these c o m m i t m e n t s since it o p e n e d its d o o r s Gallery finds itself riding t h e CityScape t w o years a g o o n February 1, 2 0 0 1 . A s of the beginning of 2 0 0 3 there h a v e b e e n 19 d i v e r s e e x h i b i t i o n s s t a r t i n g w i t h Visions Shore w h i c h s h o w c a s e d Connections: of the North A Sense of Place, a m i l l e n n i u m collection of 4 0 artistic portrayals of special North Shore locations. The g a l l e r y e v e n t u r n e d o n e r o o m into a r e n d e r i n g of A m b l e s i d e B e a c h complete with a real usable, playable s w i n g . Over 300 people lined up on the sidewalk to attend a n d raise a glass of champagne at the opening, v i e w this exhibit and celebrate t h e long road travelled by Feil a n d the other supporters fixed o n creating this c o m m u n i t y art space. A l t h o u g h there have long been a goodly number of artists per square kilometre o n t h e North Shore, t h e same could not be said of places t o s h o w their w o r k . U n t i l recently t h e c h o i c e s i n c l u d e d t h e f a c i l i t i e s at Deep Cove, the Ferry Building in West Vancouver and North Vancouver District H a l l . In t h e past P r e s e n t a t i o n H o u s e h a d o f f e r e d e x h i b i t i o n space n e e d e d in t h e Lonsdale area b u t w i t h time h a d b e g u n to focus m o r e a n d m o r e o n p h o t o g r a p h y a n d m e d i a . The N o r t h V a n c o u v e r C o m m u n i t y Arts C o u n c i l k n e w they w a n t e d a s p o t w i t h i n t h e Lower L o n s d a l e r e d e v e l o p m e n t , in w h a t p l a n n e r s h o p e d w o u l d b e c o m e a " c u l t u r a l p r e c i n c t . " But there w e r e years of public c o n s u l t a t i o n s a n d studies inherent t o t h e r e d e v e l o p m e n t , a n d Feil, as self-described, is " n o t a patient p e r s o n . " A n o t h e r cornmriry p r o j e c tb y . MS A-Sr,, i -- B E C I I S [CO · International Chilean Contemporaries · m m Oct.4-Oct26 Artist Talk: Fernanda Irvine Sat. Oct.$&3pm The developer of the site of The M e t r o p o l i t a n b u i l d i n g at 3 3 5 Lonsdale, offered the space in return for some b o n u s s i n g . "I'm n o t o n e to miss March | April