The Open Studio is moving to the Cambrian College campus

Cambrian College is closing its downtown art galleryand moving it to the campus in New Sudbury.

The Open Studio was imagined as a low-cost showcase for student and faculty artwork, as well as some from the community.

College spokesperson Dan Lessard says low attendance is a factor in closing it.

He adds the school currently pays $1,700 a month in rent, plus a part-time salary for someone to oversee the gallery.

"The money we would have had to pay in rent andother costs associated with being off-site, we can now re-invest back into our Creative Arts and Design program," he said.

"We feel it's going to be more convenient for our students and faculty to have The Open Studio on campus, so they're not going back and forth between locations."

Lessard says having the studio on campus will help get students and faculty more involved.

"I think about 60per cent of the exhibits in the Open space were not Cambrian students or faculty. They were community groups," he said.

"Depending on the content, on the subject matter, you can get 15 to 20 people attending an exhibit to 200, it was a really a wild swing."

Lessard says the downtown location of the Open Studio will close in May,and the new one will open on campus in the fall.