Black Duck Gallery & Gifts:
Nova Scotia's 1st craft co-op

Thirty nine years later, still going strong: some of the finest Nova Scotia artisans and visual artists call this popular Lunenburg gift shop home.

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The Black Duck Handcrafts Co-operative Ltd. was Nova Scotia's first handcraft co-op. In 1972, six artists and crafts people shared a dream of having the time to create and a place to meet with the public who supported their efforts.

Their summer business was hatched between the Lighthouse Route and the ocean waters of Vogler's Cove. The tiny fishing community, about a half hour's drive from Highway 103, sees significant growth in traffic during the warm weather months.

In 1974, the Black Duck moved to Lunenburg and began life as a year-round operation. During this time, membership has included 25 artists and artisans, some who used the Duck as a training ground before launching their own businesses. As well, the popular shop continues to support a large group of local craftspeople who show and sell their work on consignment.

Over the years, the Black Duck stretched her wings to gradually take over the entire location at 8 Pelham Street. It housed a Studebaker car dealership, a tinsmith and a plumber before settling on a gallery and gift shop. Its final renovation transformed a storage area into a popular gallery. Both the artists and their patrons enjoy seeing exhibits of Nova Scotia works from May until December, with shows typically lasting four to six weeks.

Three of the original six are the store's foundation: Wendy Muise, Marilyn Congdon and Tony Congdon.

Wendy Muise

Wendy has enjoyed a life-long interest in visual arts. "I've been drawing ever since I could hold a pen," she says. As a young teen, she recalls the day she accompanied a friend of her mother's, her first mentor, to a forest for her first experience painting "en plein air."

"I was hooked," she says. "My dad made me a paint box which I'm still using today."

A chance encounter with a potter sent Wendy in a new artistic direction. Tony Congdon was one of her first instructors at the Chester Arts Guild. She set up her own studio and worked as a production potter in Cone 6 porcelain for many years, benefiting from the cooperative situation at The Black Duck.

More recently, the love of painting has taken hold again and set Wendy on a new path. She is pursuing a degree in fine arts from the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design University.

Her work has been shown at The Black Duck Gallery and the Lunenburg Art Gallery and is represented in private collections.

When not at work at The Black Duck, Wendy can most likely be found absorbed in painting in her spacious Kingsburg studio.

Tony Congdon

Tony Congdon began drawing and painting at an early age. As a teen, he used his horse as a model and in high school, continued his interest in art.

Tony took a BSc in Art Education degree at the State University of New York - New Paltz. In Nova Scotia, he taught in the public elementary and high school systems as well as giving adult education classes to students in the Lunenburg and Chester areas.

Tony set up his own pottery studio in Upper Kingsburg and built a catenary arch kiln and potter's wheel from scratch. He has displayed his work at the Black Duck for many years. He's also shown his work at the Lunenburg Art Gallery. One of his most enjoyable shows was, "The Mad Hatter's Tea Party" at the Mount St. Vincent University gallery in Halifax, where he displayed a nonfunctional teapot.

Fortunately for the Black Duck, Tony's interest has turned to computers. He has been instrumental in keeping that part of the business running along smoothly.

Marilyn Congdon

Marilyn Congdon started out as a painter then turned to kite making. For the past 25 years, she used spinnaker cloth to appliquée designs on various styles of kites.

She has been involved in giving classes to elementary school students as well as adults. In Lunenburg, she has had one-woman shows at the Black Duck, Lunenburg Art Gallery and Houston North Art Gallery. Further afield in Nova Scotia, she's shown at the Alexander Graham Bell Museum, Mt. St. Vincent Art Gallery as well as Holland College, Prince Edward Island.

One of her most memorable experiences was to be sponsored by the Chinese businessmen's association in Toronto to attend a kite fly with her kites.

Marilyn is now considering turning her attention to sculpture.