At Gladstone House, art is around every corner. Walk in, look up, and you’re met with a hand-painted mural the length of the entire lobby ceiling. Take the stairs, and a new painting will greet you at every turn. Enter a room, and a unique selection of pieces from local artists will be waiting for you—including paintings, photography, textiles, glass, and ceramics.
There’s one woman who knows this art inside out—the stories it tells, the artists who created it, and the materials and processes behind it. As the curator for Archive Hospitality, Lee Petrie spends her days immersed in art, constantly thinking about how to improve the visual experience of visitors at Gladstone House, as well as the Broadview Hotel, and the Postmark Hotel in Newmarket.
“How can I make the guest experience more beautiful, more meaningful, more local?” Petrie says. “What can I do to create a situation where guests are stopping and looking and realizing that what they’re surrounded by is real art, not so-called hotel art?”
As Toronto’s oldest operating hotel, Gladstone House is steeped in history. “It is a really significant landmark, and when we underwent the renovation four years ago, the objective was to have this constant conversation between old and new,” Petrie tells us. The art that she curates is one “new” part of this equation, infusing a fresh, contemporary, and creative energy into the historic space.
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Petrie is no stranger to curating work in non-traditional spaces, like hotels. Throughout her decades-long career, she has worked in traditional gallery and museum spaces—including the McMichael Canadian Art Collection and Unionville’s Varley Art Gallery—but her longest stint was at Toronto Pearson International Airport. She spent a decade curating the airport’s art exhibits, seen by the millions of travellers who pass through the space every year.
“Art in non-traditional spaces really opens up the possibilities, the ability for people to see art and experience art as part of their daily life,” Petrie says. “It’s not something that they have to seek out specifically. It’s not something that they have to pay to see. It makes it so much easier for people to access art, to feel comfortable with it, and to feel like art is actually for everyone.”
The art in the public spaces at Gladstone House is available for the public to view for free, from 10am-7pm daily. Petrie curates new work for these exhibits every four months, including collaborations with two of the city’s biggest arts festivals: DesignTO and the CONTACT Photography Festival.
Gladstone’s current exhibit, titled Intuition, features work from artists Jeff Nye, Julie Gladstone, Daria Beer, Sarah Gonzalez and Ester Pugliese. “These artists all work in a way that maybe is slightly unexpected in that they don’t start with preparatory sketches, and that’s where the intuition comes in,” Petrie explains. “They’re tapping into memories, tapping into feelings, and then they’re responding to their own mark making.”
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At all three Archive properties, the focus is on local artists. For Petrie, it’s paramount that guests receive a uniquely Toronto experience, and that starts with the art they see around them. “It’s really important for the art on the walls to reflect our city and the diversity and creativity that’s in it,” Petrie says. And there’s no shortage of creativity in the city—Petrie has worked in the Toronto arts scene for more than 20 years, and she’s still constantly discovering artists that are new to her, both emerging and established. “ I’m also constantly amazed at the tenacity of artists in the city,” Petrie says. “This is a tough town. It’s expensive to live here. It’s expensive to have a studio, but there are so many artists who are working so hard to put themselves out there and to make a go of it. I’m always inspired by that.”
It’s no surprise that being a curator means constantly thinking about, looking at, and immersing yourself in art. But sometimes, there’s a fun side quest…like decorating for a Halloween party! Both Gladstone House and the Broadview Hotel are hosting Halloween events in the coming days, and Petrie is in charge of the spooky decor. At Gladstone House, Petrie was inspired by neon and glow-in-the-dark rave aesthetics to create the perfect atmosphere for their “Rave from the Grave” party. The event, complete with DJs and a costume contest, will take place in Cassette, a new bar at Gladstone House opening on October 25.
Another unexpected part of an art curator’s job? Lots of spreadsheets! Petrie often receives hundreds of submissions for artist opportunities at the hotel, so it requires “a huge amount of organization” to sift through them all. Even with so many applicants, Petrie says she is genuinely happy to answer questions from artists who are submitting their work. “I really try to be the non-scary curator,” she says. “I always include in calls, Do you have questions? Email me!”
As a lifelong art lover, Petrie’s advice for aspiring art curators is to hold on to their love and deep appreciation for the work. “It’s not always the best compensated field. So loving the work helps a lot…I’ve been doing this for more than 20 years, and whenever new work comes in for an exhibition and I unwrap it, I feel like it’s my birthday,” Petrie says with a smile. “When I stop feeling that way, it’s time for me to get a new job or retire.”
Intuition is on display now at Gladstone House until January 13.
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