FROM churning out 100,000 tins of fish during the late 1940s, to showcasing artworks of local and renowned artists – it’s fair to say that the Cannery in Esperance has had a rich and varied history before arriving at its current state as the Cannery Arts Centre.
Under the creative care of new manager James Hollands, the future for the Cannery looks even brighter.
The building began life as a single-storey brick and corrugated iron building, built for Daniel Samuel Hunt in 1948 as a fishing cannery.
The cannery flourished and at its peak employed 27 men, but as fishing fleets moved further west it was decided that Albany was a more commercially-viable location, so it closed in 1950.
The building sat on Crown land and at the end of the lease, Mr Hunt relinquished it for community use.
It sat vacant for several years until Sid Towndrow took on the lease and used it to operate a welding and metal working business.
Several businesses followed including a car dealership, dry cleaners, cabinetmakers, an engineering firm and local machinery dealers Tim Ratten and Doug Slater even started their New Holland agency from the site in 1964.
In 1965, the Cannery became a youth centre which was a success until 1976, when the Shire of Esperance took control of the building and undertook further renovations.
Mr Hollands said it was then that local art and crafts groups took an interest in using the Cannery as a workspace and meeting place.
“The gallery was first developed in 1984 to accommodate local and touring artists and provide space for visual arts, workshops and events,” Mr Hollands said.
“In 1986, major improvements were undertaken with the construction of a building with four studio rooms and the addition of a further two buildings.
“From a youth centre holding Saturday morning films to holding dances to functioning as a de facto town hall, the Cannery has had many uses over its time.
“Since being established as the Cannery Arts Centre, we are Esperance’s main arts hub and now function to work with the community to provide spaces for the community’s work and enhance access to the arts as well as bringing new work to town.”
The Cannery was heritage listed in July 2015 and currently features a pottery room, print room, music room, three separate galleries and organic kitchen garden.
There is also a lookout behind the site, providing an amazing overview of the site and beyond, looking out to the Recherche Archipelago.
Hailing from London, Mr Hollands was curator of an underground arts centre, The Horse Hospital, and is also an experienced video and sound artist.
Esperance may be a world away, but he is pumped about the local creative scene and said he was determined to introduce some unique and cool exhibitions and acts to Esperance to blow people’s minds.
Far from being a hush-quiet art gallery in a sleepy country town, the Cannery is a hive of activity.
There are two dedicated and popular arts programs currently being run, one for children and one for adults, as well as a rolling schedule of exhibitions and events.
“Upcoming is a gig from Perth’s finest Ruby May and our next exhibition will be in November when we will have Hard Pressed installed, which is an exhibition of giant woodcuts created by Mid West artists and the community, curated by Lizzie Robinson,” Mr Hollands said.
“The Cannery is deeply loved amongst the community and provides a fascinating glimpse of the WA arts scene.
“And we can get crazy busy, all our events are sell outs.”
Mr Hollands has hit the ground running and is currently working on a semi-permanent exhibition of the Cannery’s history, which will be for display in one of the rooms to enable visitors to learn more about the fascinating history of the building.
He said they were also hosting the town’s first ever Gay Pride event on November 4, which everyone was excited about.
“I think the Cannery plays a strong, stable and pivotal role in the arts scene and overall the creative scene in Esperance is killing it at the moment,” Mr Hollands said.
“Over the past year we’ve seen a new butcher, a new barber, an organic fruit and veg shop and a new expresso bar open in town, as well as an amazing new restaurant, three new cafes and a skate park.
“Kyron Smith recorded the “Songs From the Southern Edge” CD which is a compilation of local bands, highlighting the Esperance scene.
“Esperance manages to blur the lines between skimpies and parmies and flat whites and beards, and excels in all.”
