Martello Alley — Attraction in Ontario

My wife and I came to Kingston for our honeymoon (our options were obviously limited due to COVID-19, but this city was far enough away for us to still feel like it's a getaway).

That being said, we toured around the city, checked out quaint coffee shops, all the vintage gift stores, the Kingston Penitentiary, took a ferry to Wolfe Island, and much more. The place that truly captured our hearts during our time in Kingston was none other than Martello Alley.

My wife enjoys looking at creative expositions of work, and I can appreciate them, but what really had us resonating with Martello Alley was the ethos behind its conception. David (the owner) had a vision to clean up a small little nook in the city and give it new light. A corner in which its only purpose was to serve as a dumpster area was redefined and repurposed to become both a place of beauty and invitation to explore, and an open space where local people can display their work and build community amongst themselves. Martello Alley has turned from a place of disposal into a place where voices are heard, voices from people who are regular and enjoy art, voices from people of minority backgrounds, and voices from people who are severely pushed to the margins.

Having David share this story with us was powerful, because a relatively smaller initiative carried such a big impact and continues to do so. I hope to see a ripple effect from this, where simple regular people with a heart to revitalize an area and clear the stigma behind some neighborhoods can creatively navigate what the needs of the community are, and develop plans to execute them under a lower budget. David has done this, and my wife and I would like to follow suit in our own local setting, in our own unique way. I hope this review encourages you to check out Martello Alley while you are in Kingston and hopefully be inspired to help facilitate positive change wherever you call home.

Have a wonderful day everyone, and thanks...

The local art is amazing and its great that there is a place to showcase unrecognized talent in the area. Obviously the owners pride themselves (and rightly should!) In the magnificent effort of revamping the alley to create their own one of a kind place it is a a marvel and an eye draw. Its to bad that the (male) owner came of as a creep speaking about the vast amount of college girls that his art draws and apparently oogles at whilst lamenting sadly of his marriage. Before jumping into a very revealing 10 minute rave about himself and his art, not once did he highlight or even mention the other artists he had showcased, he bad mouthed and criticized other "failed" local gallery's and very much left me with a bad taste in my mouth. The real clincher was the way he obsessed showing off his instagram "follower" count, insisting that I follow him and watch the "cool" live tracking counter he had outside. Honestly it is sad as the talent displayed is wonderful but i would honestly look else where before hanging you art here as he seems to be more interested in himself then the hard working artists displayed. I personally wont be wanting to return in the future and subject myself to the pervy art collector's...

I really enjoyed my visit to Martello alley, although I wont be returning. The owner was super over bearing and over explained his buissness, his art and his lack of returning local customers, and I know why. The general ambiance to the alley is NOT local. Its plastered with decorative signs and what I can only describe for lack of a better word as clutter. The gallery itself does not let you focus on the art work and has you wondering what's decor and what's for sale. The own and curator of the galley failed to inform me about ANY of his local artists merely talked about himself. Its set up and feels like a tourist attraction, not a local artist enclave. Martello alley is a interesting place to visit because you actually have a chance to speak with the artist who are...