Doug Ashbury
Northern News Services

NNSL (May 13/98) - Arctic Art Gallery owner Marg Baile will step back, but not away from the art gallery she built from scratch.

This Friday, Baile will close the sale of her Franklin Avenue gallery to Arctic Co-operatives Ltd.

But she will stay on as a consultant with the new owners for at least four years.

The business has grown substantially from the early days. Baile started selling art prints in the lobby of the Explorer Hotel in the early 1980s. She opened the gallery Jan. 1, 1985.

With this week's sale, she said she is looking forward to spending more time with her family. She also plans to assist long-time partner Yellowknife Centre MLA Jake Ootes as he gears up for the territorial election in 18 months.

As well as the inventory, Baile has also sold the Franklin Avenue building, to Arctic Co-operatives.

Baile added that Arctic Art Gallery's exclusive arrangements with several Northern artists are part of the deal with Arctic Co-operatives.

Under the arrangements, artists like Mona Thrasher, Gabe Gely and Dorothy Francis have agreed to sell their works only to Arctic Art Gallery.

Another artist with a similar arrangement is Graeme Shaw. Arctic Art Gallery is the lone seller in the NWT of Shaw's paintings.

Asked what motivated her to seek exclusive representation for several artists, Baile said such a move works for both parties. Arctic Art Gallery acts as agent and promoter of the artist, and, it does not have to compete with another retailer attempting to sell that same artist's work.

Baile said she is "delighted" the gallery could be passed on to a company owned by Northerners.

For Arctic Co-operatives, the deal means an expansion of its existing art network.

Arctic Co-operatives' existing retail network includes Northern Images. A group of retail stores in Yellowknife, Winnipeg, Edmonton, Churchill and Inuvik.

Arctic Co-operatives also distributes art nationally and internationally through Canadian Arctic Producers, Arctic Co-operatives' wholesaler.

Terms of the gallery acquisition were not disclosed but Arctic Co-operatives did say that Northern art from Arctic Art Gallery will continue to be sold in Yellowknife. It will also be sold through Canadian Arctic Producers.

That means a wider audience for those artists with exclusive arrangements with the gallery.

Arctic Co-operatives, based in Winnipeg, includes stores in 42 NWT communities. Individual co-ops are owned by residents of the community.

"The 13 years Margaret Baile spent building the Arctic Art Gallery made a significant contribution to establishing the reputation of Northern art," Arctic Co-operatives president Bill Lyall said.

"We acknowledge our responsibility to community artists and will continue to expand our marketing efforts on their behalf."

Consulting company Isle Royale, owned by David Connelly, acted as agent.

Arctic Co-operatives, has retail, arts and crafts marketing, hotel, tourism, fuel distribution, cable television, digital communications, property management and heavy equipment business, employs over 700 people in the North.

The co-ops' annual revenues exceed $80 million and assets are over $65 million.

Arctic Co-operatives chief executive officer Andy Morrison said it is too early to discuss any changes that will be made to the Arctic Art Gallery or to its Yellowknife Northern Images store.