Like any good artist, when West Peterborough’s Daniel Thibeault looked at the empty retail space in the Granite Block building on Grove Street, he saw the potential.

“How do you feel about letting some artists have the space?” he asked one of the building owners, Stan Fry of Peterborough.

Thibeault got Fry to rent him the retail space, formerly held by At Wit’s End, for a small monthly rate, he said. Then Thibeault called his friends and invited them to join him and Granite Block Art was opened.

The gallery will show contemporary and abstract art as well as sculptures and pottery, he said.

“It’s a member-operated gallery,” Thibeault said. “All the members pay a small monthly fee.

Each member works a couple of days a month and all the artists get 100 percent of their sales. This way we have no payroll and not any one person is tied down to running the shop.”

Fellow artists Sue Callihan, Dave Dodge, Genevieve Groesbeck, Lee Newton and John Sirois of Peterborough, Georgia Fletcher of Dublin, Chris Myott of Jaffrey, Bessann Triplett of Francestown and Scott Cunningham of Hancock are the other members of the Granite Block Art gallery.

On Wednesday, Thibeault and the other artists filled the space with paintings, sculptures and pottery. The artists were thrilled to be with each other and see each other’s work. And they are looking forward to keeping 100 percent of their art sales.

“It’s just fun getting out and having fun with other artists,” said Fletcher. “And I think it’s a great situation.”

Even if it’s only in operation for a short while, the gallery will be great, Callihan said.
“There’s not a lot of space available in town that we can afford,” she said.

Thibeault said he wants to encourage people to come in to sit down on the couch and enjoy the space. He also wants to promote local artists like Newton, who he said is a great abstract artist who hasn’t had a great deal of exposure.

“I want Peterborough to see her art,” Thibeault said.

At Wit’s End moved out of the space in May in anticipation of a complete building renovation.

Thibeault said he is not concerned about the renovation, which could be a couple of years away according to the property manager.

“This will provide an outlet for local people who do not have an outlet otherwise,” Thibeault said. “My gut feeling is if we could stay here through the fall, great. If it doesn’t work or if it is too much of a hassle, I don’t have a commitment to a lease. If it does work out, then we’ll try to keep it going.”

The gallery will be open Wednesdays through Sundays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.