Jerry-Faye Flatt | ‘A Big Undertaking in a Historic Saint John Building’: Shannon Merrifield
When Shannon Merrifield was a young girl, she would walk past the historic 116 Prince William St. on her way to Saint John High. One day, she went inside when she noticed a fine art and craft gallery had opened - that’s when she fell in love with fine art.
Decades later, Shannon and her business partner Gary Spicer have opened their own gallery in that exact same space, called the Spicer Merrifield Gallery. It opened in August.
“I'm actually coming full circle, coming back to the same space where I first fell in love with fine art and craft,” said Shannon.
The Spicer Merrifield Gallery in 1899. (Spicer Merrifield Gallery Facebook)
Before the ‘Full Circle’
In 2001, Shannon was working as a sous chef in Rothesay at the Shadow Lawn Inn. She was contemplating moving to a larger city centre, but then she heard that Handworks Gallery was up for sale in Saint John. She purchased it and started representing 70 artists almost right away.
“I saw an opportunity. I had an interest in it … and I’ve been doing it ever since.”
Taking over the gallery also made her want to get back into making art, so she decided to go to the New Brunswick College of Craft and Design for pottery. In those early years, she was running a business, going to the college and had two babies.
She said going to the college gave her a deeper appreciation, knowledge and understanding of what she was selling and representing.
“It kind of completed the circle for me. And recently there seems to be a lot of these circles being completed.”
Shannon is still making pottery, but it’s more for her own creative outlet rather than financial gain. Right now, she’s focusing on her new business.
The New Gallery
The artist roster at Spicer Merrifield Gallery is the same as Shannon’s previous gallery, the Buckland Merrifield Gallery, with the addition of a few new artists. What is different about the new gallery space is the collaboration with her business partner, Gary, whose expertise is in the fine jewellery business.
Shannon said they have precious metals and gems and will be housing diamonds and sapphires in the space. They will be able to create custom pieces and will be bringing in some high-end fashion lines such as Gucci and Burkes.
“[It’s] a wonderful selection of really beautiful things. The range [is] from your beautiful handmade mug by Joanna Pottle, to a high-end diamond necklace or earring set.”
When Shannon reached out to Gary about renting the space, the owner of the building, he said instead they should talk about potentially collaborating. Shannon agreed.
“This is a new and exciting opportunity for me to perhaps partner with something that I thought would be beautiful and wonderful in a gallery setting, but also cohesive in our clientele.”
Shannon said they’ve undergone major renovations but have made sure to respect and use the existing infrastructure and architecture. They’ve had to lay down floors, put in lights and modernize it, but they want to keep the age and feeling of the building.
The Spicer Merrifield Gallery in progress. (Spicer Merrifield Gallery Facebook)
“[It’s] a meeting of old and new together in a cohesive, really beautiful space.”
Shannon is curating the fine art and craft and also the jewellery. She’s was excited to finally see it all come together.
“I feel honoured that the artists have brought in such incredible work. I feel fortunate to have a partnership that I think that is going to be really great for Saint John. To open such a big undertaking in a historic Saint John building is not something that happens every day, so I feel really lucky that I can help facilitate that.”
Representing Through Stories
Shannon is representing around 70 artists in this new space as well. She said representing artists is about more than just selling their work: She learns the artists process and understands what motivates them, in addition to making sure their work is properly lit, displayed and priced.
Storytelling is also important, said Shannon, as well as letting people know these artists live within our communities.
“It’s not just me selling something, it’s a relationship. . .The more that we can tell a story, the more likelihood that somebody is going to come across and say, ‘You know what? That's really cool,’ or, ‘That's really beautiful.’”
Shannon also chairs the New Brunswick Museum board, is on the Saint John Community Arts Fund and the Chamber of Commerce.
“By involving myself not only within the gallery on a business level, but also within our community on a social level, I think is an important aspect when you're representing artists’ work.”
Shannon said Spicer Merrifield Gallery will be an “incredible culture point, that would stand up in any cosmopolitan centre.”
You can check out their latest exhibit called Surviving the Pandemic here.
Jerry-Faye Flatt was a summer reporter for CreatedHere Magazine and is now the Student Life Coordinator at the New Brunswick College of Craft and Design. She’s a recent St. Thomas University grad who double majored in journalism and communications. Flatt spent her final year at university as the Managing Editor of The Aquinian, STU’s official student newspaper, after working as the Arts Editor in her previous year. When she’s not busy out getting the latest scoop, you can find her playing in bands or driving around in her red 1981 Ford Econoline van. If you have a story tip, you can contact her at flatt.jerryfaye@gmail.com.