New gallery explores beauty, history of Peggy’s Cove

Peggy's Cove in pictures A gallery in Peggy's Cove, N.S., depicts life in the village a century ago.

Three years ago, Eleanor McCain purchased six buildings in Peggy’s Cove, N.S., with the idea of creating a miniature village within the historic surrounding village. She wanted to combine arts and heritage alongside other businesses.

“I’ve been a singer for most of my life and I really wanted the arts to be part of this project,” she said.

The project is called Six by the Sea. McCain launched the Schoolhouse (a performance venue) and Holy Mackerel (a retail store), and recently she took another step forward in realizing her vision by opening a gallery.

“The gallery is my love of the arts,” she said.

Spindrift Gallery opened on June 28 and it will offer free entry to the public until it closes for the season in October. McCain said the name for the gallery came from a term for sea spray.

“It’s essentially the spray that comes off the crest of the waves,” McCain said. “It’s a very poetic word and it’s nautical.”

To celebrate the opening of the gallery, McCain launched “Visions of Time,” an exhibition that highlights photography and film of Peggy’s Cove from the 1920s to the 1950s, offering a different glimpse of the popular tourist destination.

“We spent a lot of time renovating the buildings themselves and we kept having to access these old photos to make sure the windows and architecture were authentic,” McCain said. “We thought there was a story to tell through these photos of people documenting the village.

“There’s an 11-minute silent film from the 1930s on a loop through the day (in the exhibition). It gives you a sense of what life was like and I think that’s special. You can see how fishing has changed and the architecture has changed.”

McCain said she has talked to people whose ancestors founded the Peggy’s Cove community in 1811 and she was pleased to highlight the images from their shared past.

“It was interesting to hear people’s stories,” she said. “They’re seeing pictures of their relatives in the photos. I think that’s a beautiful thing to have all of those feelings and thoughts.

“I think heritage is important. We try to incorporate a bit of history on the buildings. The community itself and the authenticity is very important.”

McCain said she’s excited to open the other buildings in the village.

“It’s wonderful to see everything come to life,” she said. “It’s taken a village to take this off the ground. Next year we’ll have the food businesses up and running.

“We’re starting to see more activity. More visitors are coming to see the buildings. It’s exciting to see people spend time with us.”

For more Nova Scotia news visit our dedicated provincial page.