The Artrageous Gallery in downtown Cranbrook has closed its doors - temporarily.

The gallery and offices of Cranbrook and District Arts Council are looking for a new home after deciding at the end of July to say goodbye to its current location on 11th Avenue South.

"We would have been happy to stay there but it is right in the middle of a landlord dispute. There is also quite a bit of water damage occurring in the building, which can't be fixed until the dispute is resolved. We would have loved to have stayed, but it just wasn't working out any longer," said Sioux Browning, president of the arts council.

The summer member's exhibit, scheduled to open this month, has been cancelled, but it will be rescheduled once a new space has been found.

"The un-themed exhibits are always popular with the artists because they can put in whatever they want. So as soon as we find a new place, our first exhibit will be un-themed to make up for it," said Browning.

The arts council is considering a range of venues for their next lease, weighing up whether they plan for the future and find a larger space, or stay within budget in a space that is a similar size.

"We have been looking. There are a few places out there. Some are about the same size as what we have now and some are a lot larger than what we have now. We are trying to decide whether we could make a leap into something really huge and completely change our business model. But we're also quite cautious of the fact that we don't want to spend all of our time just trying to make our rent," said Browning.

In March, the arts council submitted a request to the city that council consider reallocating the old fire hall as a comprehensive fire hall.

"Our big goal really is to get into a permanent arts centre, hopefully in the fire hall. That's a little ways off, but we would like to have the bulk of our focus on getting into there, not just trying to come up with rent for an enormous space," said Browning.

Once the council has found a top contender for the space, it will be put to the board before the lease is signed, according to Browning.

In the meantime, the arts council office will be on reduced hours - Tuesday to Friday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. - until August 26.

While this is going on, the council continues to keep arts active in the Cranbrook area.

"We're still serving the artists of Cranbrook, but in a much smaller way at the moment," said Browning.

"Keep in mind that this is an exciting time for the arts in Cranbrook because so much is changing. Keep your ears up for anything you might want to participate in."

For more information, call 250-426-4223 or visit www.theartscouncil.ca.