Visiting the Veith Street Gallery:

What was thought to be a quick visit to the Veith Street Gallery two days before the flight left for London, turned into an immeasurably rewarding experience. The building was probably one of the oldest in Halifax’s North End, just bursting at the seams with stories to tell. It stood waiting there at the edge of the hill overlooking the dockyards and warehouses of the East Coast Navy as I was dropped off by a very chatty and angry cab driver. There was an opening happening of a group show on the top floor of a place that was appropriately named ‘Veith House’. The stairs were talkative, and when I reached the top I was kindly greeted by a number of people who were eager to show me their work and to see the books in the suitcase. I was soon introduced to Michael Searey, the gallery director who’s dream it was to start the Veith Street Gallery since the 70’s. It was inspiring and refreshing to meet someone who remained in touch with his playful side for so long which made me happy to leave with such encouraging memories.

Veith House had previously been an orphanage run by protestant nuns until the 1960’s when it was transformed into a home and a centre for people with disabilities. There were some photo’s on the wall of the orphans and blurbs about the history of the building. The ceilings were high, the floors would creek and the rooms seemed drafty which gave the building a calm, beautiful and wise character. Someone there told me a story about when the Halifax explosion happened, a nun who heard the boom quickly led the children down to the sheltered basement thinking that it was an aviation attack because of the war. In doing this she ended up saving the lives of most of the children but not her own, leaving the survivors as some of the only in that part of Halifax as the explosion just happened to take place right in front of the orphanage. Miraculously, this building was left standing and the city decided to move it up the hill further away from the harbor to shelter it from further activities that were feared to happen in that area at the time.