Nova ScotiaThe town has acquired the former AGNS building at 341 Main Street and plans to turn it into a permanent arts hub.Town has acquired the former Art Gallery of Nova Scotia building on Main StreetVernon Ramesar · CBC News · Posted: Oct 25, 2025 3:10 PM EDT | Last Updated: 2 hours agoListen to this articleEstimated 3 minutesThe Town of Yarmouth has acquired the former Art Gallery of Nova Scotia building. (Michael Gorman/CBC)The moment musician Julia Cunningham stepped into the former Art Gallery of Nova Scotia building in Yarmouth on Thursday, she felt a sense of possibility. “I wasn’t sure what to expect, but it’s definitely got a bit of a clean, modern feel and enough room to have a nice show,” she said.Her performance during Nova Scotia Music Week was one of the first since the town acquired the space. The town announced the acquisition of the building on Main Street in a news release on Tuesday. The AGNS first opened its western gallery in 2006. It was open year-round until 2020, then scaled back to a seasonal operation. The transfer, finalized for one dollar, aims to create a permanent arts hub. A town news release stated the goal is to bolster the arts sector in the area.Yarmouth Mayor Pam Mood says the town’s vision is for a multi-use cultural centre. (Paul Poirier/CBC)For Mayor Pam Mood, the purchase was a necessary commitment.“We just couldn’t let it go and take the chance of anything happening but what we believe should be there, which is arts and culture,” Mood said.The building sits in a prime downtown location, a few blocks from the ferry terminal.HomecomingFor Yarmouth-born musician Cameron Nickerson, who performs at the building on Saturday evening, the venue is a genuine homecoming.”When I was in high school, me and a friend, we did a project on the art gallery and … we wrote a little song about the art gallery,” he said. “So, it’s a little special for me.”Nickerson says his father also used to run a gym in the building.”I think they’ll have some great luck with bringing in whatever music or whatever kind of functions they decide,” Nickerson said.Cunningham said the venue offers potential for intimate and flexible performances. “What we saw at the art gallery space is that people were able to move around and dance a little bit,” she said. She said this offers a different experience from the town’s other performance spaces like Th’YARC on Parade Street, in addition to a convenient location.The town’s vision is for a multi-use cultural hub, Mood said.“We’ve got the Acadian community here, we’ve got First Nations,” she said. “We just want everybody to be able to celebrate in that building.”The building requires significant upgrades, including a new roof.Mood is hopeful the province will help financially because the centre will have an impact beyond the local area.“We haven’t asked for any assistance yet. So, if anyone’s listening, we’ll be coming,” she said.For now, the success of Nova Scotia Music Week has energized the space. Mood said the feedback from artists and patrons has been very positive.”Folks always say Yarmouth is a hockey community,” she said. “Well, we can be everything, and that’s exactly what we are.”MORE TOP STORIESABOUT THE AUTHORVernon Ramesar is a reporter and video and radio journalist originally based in Trinidad. He now lives in Halifax.
A new stage for Yarmouth: Historic downtown building to become arts hub
