Collectivism has collapsed at the Collective Works Gallery in Fernwood, which will close its doors Dec. 4.

The artist-run centre cited unaffordable rent increases, low sales, internal disunity and volunteer burnout as causes for the closure.

"I'd say rent increases, slash inner-exhaustion and the fact that we weren't selling enough to pay the rent [were the main causes]," said founding member Pete Rockwell.

Member Rosalie Matchett said the group would have to hire an administrator to perform tasks that the members were tired of doing on an volunteer basis, which would mean restructuring.

"The energy was not there to make this change happen," she said.

The group will be the second in one week to leave the Fernwood neighbood. The Ministry of Casual Living was evicted from its Haultain Street location effective Wednesday.

The Collective Works Gallery opened in 2008. Rockwell described the group as a mix of independent artists and those involved in the Fernwood Art Stroll. Membership has fluctuated but at the last count numbered 13 artists. The demographic was "older rather than younger," Rockwell said, "although there's a few guys who still don't have grey hair yet."

Both Matchett and Rockwell pointed to rent increases by their landlord, the Fernwood NRG, as the ultimate cause for closure.

Collective Works began paying $1,605 monthly for 1,200 square feet. When the NRG reduced its space to 800 square feet in October 2009, rent was reduced to $1,100.

This year, Collective Works was offered a new agreement on the basis of square footage, with new charges for the common bathroom and hallway space as well as geothermal energy — included in the flat rate previously. The new rent for the first year would be equal to $1,330 per month, plus $66.25 for geothermal heating. The next year would cost $1,463 a month and the third $1,597 monthly.

"For us, a non-profit, it wasn't feasible," Matchett said. "There were ill feelings toward the NRG's decision to raise the rent so much and we felt unwelcome in the space in which we had put much time and energy into transforming into a beautiful gallery."

The Fernwood NRG could not be reached for comment. Internal divisions also grew along the lines of those who hoped to make the gallery commercially viable and those concerned with maintaining an "art for art's sake" mandate.

"There were essentially two factions," Rockwell said. "The 'we want to have a slick, make-money, commercial gallery bunch,' and then there were the art purists — 'art for its own sake' — sort of sub-faction that was more radically politically involved in art. I guess I'd consider myself more in that bunch."

But Rockwell said ultimately they worked out a good balance, with a synergistic membership. The market-minded artists were necessary for the idealists, who lacked business sense.

Some openings saw around 150 patrons pass through the gallery, but few made purchases, treating it more as a museum than an art store, Rockwell said. Sales weren't strong enough to support the gallery, which collected only 10 per cent from each sale — significantly lower than the average 40 to 50 per cent cut that commercial galleries collect.

Matchett said she had a good run with Collective Works.

"I loved my experience with the gallery and I learned a lot," she said. "But one of the aspects of working collectively is that you're always making compromises."

asmart@timescolonist.com