The exterior of the new LUCID art space at King Street and Holton Avenue in Hamilton. Photo Kate Vasyliw
By Démar Grant
April 9, 2026
Hamilton’s dream exhibition space is about to come to life.
LUCID, a brand-new art exhibition space, is opening April 11. Sandra Meigs, a member of the co-op that runs the location, will be the first artist to have an exhibition in the new space, with “The Golden Germ.”
“We’re not calling it a gallery. We’re calling it an exhibition space and the reason for that is that galleries imply a lot of things depending on the context, but one thing they often imply is that it’s a business,” said Kevin Mutch, another member of LUCID.
“So what we’re doing is intended to be just completely independent, completely non-commercial, and run as an exhibition space for serious contemporary art.”
When Meigs’ exhibit is shown, at 837 King St E., it’ll be first among the eight artists who are part of the LUCID collective. The group consists of Kim Adams (whose “Bruegel-Bosch Bus” is a mainstay at the Art Gallery of Hamilton), Donna Akrey, Roy Kohn, Stan Krzyżanowski, Meigs, Mutch, Briana Palmer and Kate Vasyliw, all meant to have a showing at the new location. According to Kohn, each member is equally responsible for the space and whatever costs are associated with it, including rent.
“(We each are) basically trying to work in a unified manner to promote each other’s work, and to have a venue that everyone can express what they want to create,” said Kohn, explaining how having a community of artists around you can help alleviate creative struggles and spur ideas.
“The nature of the co-op is that new members can join and members can choose not to return after a year, if they want. We’ll just have to see how that plays out. But joining the group is a question of a unanimous decision after a review of the work.”
As of now, the collective is bound together for a year, with plans for each person to get a show over that same time span. Mutch said there could be exhibitions from artists outside the collective as well but that’s a matter of timing.
Artist Sandra Meigs is pictured in her Hamilton studio in this 2020 photo. Barry Gray/Spectator file photo
LUCID is a home of mid-career artists who have spent years in the trenches. Some have had their work shown nationally or internationally, some have been professors, but they all have been artists for years now. During a time when visual art homes have become polarized, platforming fledglings or the famous, LUCID is supposed to be for the fully formed.
“The AGH is a fantastic institution, but it seems to be operating on more of a kind of national or international level, and the existing artist-run centres are very much focused on what are called emerging artists, very young artists looking to have their first show,” said Mutch.
“There isn’t a lot available for artists who you might call mid-career who would like to see each other’s work. So, we all recognized that that was what you might call a gap in the market.”
The collectivist ethos has a sense of artistic irony to it as LUCID’s new home is located inside an old Bank of Montreal. The building has been converted — the upper floors are now for residential use, but the exhibition space is in the basement, allowing for extravagant projects.
Artist Kim Adams’ “Bruegel-Bosch Bus” is a mainstay at the Art Gallery of Hamilton. Cathie Coward/Spectator file photo
LUCID’s artists are more than painters and their exhibits will prove so — their work has stretched to eight-foot drawings, sculptures, performance and installations as they continue their evolution.
“Everybody has their own approaches. And personally, for me, the concept of the work dictates the medium,” said Kohn. “We’re all exploring areas that are perhaps a little bit challenging to the average viewer, by way of the media and how it’s presented.”
LUCID opening
What Sandra Meigs’ “The Golden Germ” exhibition
Where 837 King St. E., off the alley entrance and down the steps into the bank
When April 11, 5 to 8 p.m.
Exhibition length April 11 to 25, open Wednesdays to Saturdays, 12 to 5 p.m.