By Hollie Pratt-CampbellFor Gillian Baker, dance is life.“It’s kind of like breathing for me,” says the 15-year-old Kingston School of Dance (KSD) student. “I love it, but it’s beyond that, to the point where I need it. I almost don’t even have to think about it because it’s just always there.”

The renovation and rejuvenation of The J K Tett Arts Complex has been in progress for many years. The City of Kingston purchased the circa 1820’s site in 1971 at the urging of John K. Tett, then the Director of Parks and Recreation. Decades ahead of his time, Tett envisioned the former brewery and distillery as a community arts complex. Fittingly, though unofficially, the complex took on his name.

Construction will soon begin on the re-creation of the ‘malting tower’, a pyramid like structure that was originally part of the building. The area underneath the tower will become an event room with a soaring ceiling and dramatic natural light and framed vistas out over the lake.