From the heart of Regina to international exhibitions, Slate Fine Art Gallery promotes local talent in the contemporary art world.

Since opening in 2013, the commercial gallery in Regina’s Cathedral neighbourhood has offered more than white walls and exhibition space. For owner Gina Fafard, maintaining Slate has meant creating a permanent, professional environment where Saskatchewan artists can present their work with credibility while building sustainable careers.

“We first opened in April 2013,” said Fafard. “We moved to this location (3424 13th Ave) in 2019, so coming up in April it will be seven years in this space and 13 years all together.”

When the gallery first opened, Regina had established artists whose work was represented outside Saskatchewan but lacked commercial representation in the province. At the same time, emerging artists were searching for professional spaces to exhibit their work.

“At the time there was a need … although it’s not a large city and it can’t support a ton of galleries, I felt like there was definitely a hole in the market,” said Fafard.

Today, Slate has more than 40 artists, including notable names such as Joe Fafard, Victor Cicansky, David Thauberger, Vera Saltzman, Gabriela Garcia-Luna, Heather Cline and Frans Lotz, reflecting the gallery’s commitment to both established and emerging talent.

Fafard entered the commercial art world from the perspective of an artist. With a background shaped by her own practice as a jewellery designer and years growing up in the arts community, she understood both the creative and professional challenges artists face.

“My own practice was winding down,” said Fafard. “I wasn’t looking to pursue it any longer, so I was looking for another way to maintain a part of the arts community without trying to make a living as an artist.”

Over time, Fafard developed a dual perspective that has become one of Slate’s strengths as a gallery.

In its second year, Slate expanded beyond Saskatchewan by exhibiting at Art Toronto, the largest international art fair in Canada. Slate since added Montreal’s contemporary art fair, Plural, to its out of province exhibitions.

“Although there’s a good community and market here, it’s not a huge market. In order for artists’ careers to grow and flourish, we need to expose them to a greater audience,” said Fafard.

Art Toronto draws collectors, major galleries, corporate buyers and institutions such as the National Gallery of Canada and national banks. Montreal’s fair offers similar visibility. Some years Slate attends one, other years both.

The financial risk is significant. Fair fees, shipping, travel and having someone take care of Slate in Fafard’s absence adds up quickly.

“But they’re manageable and they’re worth the risk,” said Fafard.

Last year, every artist Slate brought to Toronto entered different bank collections. Two years ago in Montreal, artist Daphne Boyer had work acquired by the Bank of Canada. Such achievement that strengthen not just the gallery’s reputation, but the artist’s career.

Saskatchewan-born artist Heather Cline, who has worked with Slate since 2017, credits Fafard with transforming her professional life.

Farfard has given Cline a platform and access to national fairs like Art Toronto, and expanded client networks across Canada, North America and even Europe.

“It’s made me go from somebody who was only a part-time artist to being able to commit to being a full-time artist,” said Cline.

Fafard actively promotes the work, insures it while it hangs in the gallery, handles transportation and takes responsibility for marketing and closing sales.

“Some artists like to directly sell their work. I don’t. I just want to paint … So having someone you trust who’s running the commercial side of my business is just really wonderful,” said Cline.

Cline believes Slate distinguishes itself through the calibre of artists it represents.

“She’s not only picking artists whose work she thinks the public will like, but artists who she respects — who they are, what they make and their art practice,” said Cline.

Buyers aren’t just purchasing something beautiful. They’re investing in work that holds long-term value because of the calibre and credibility Fafard chooses to promote.

Fafard functions as more than a gallerist. She is a patron of the arts and a champion of Saskatchewan and Canadian artists whose work might otherwise be overlooked in larger centres.

“I even sometimes feel like I’m there as an advocate for the province, not just for the artists, because you know, I often meet people that have never been in out west in Canada and they don’t know a lot about us,” said Fafard.

Through the work she showcases, Fafard introduces viewers to the creative vitality of Saskatchewan’s art community. Fafard thinks that the prairies stand out in their art style.

“I think it’s important that we’re there so people can see that even though there’s definitely differences, there’s the same amount of professionalism that’s showing in the work,” said Fafard.

Beyond international fairs and institutional acquisitions, Slate remains a local stronghold of a gallery and remains a space where anyone can come in and encounter professional, contemporary art.

“It was just really a love of art that made me want to get into this,” said Fafard.