VANCOUVER, British Columbia--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today, the Vancouver Art Gallery, one of North America’s most innovative visual arts institutions, marks a significant milestone in the development of its future home. Earlier this morning, a special Ground Awakening Ceremony was held at the site for the new Vancouver Art Gallery at the Chan Centre for the Visual Arts, a moment that its supporters have been working toward for more than a decade. Site remediation and construction on the new Gallery begins this fall with an estimated completion in 2028.
To date, the Gallery has raised more than $340 million of its $400 million fundraising target (85 per-cent), with multi-level support from private and corporate donations as well as funding from the federal and BC provincial governments and City of Vancouver. As the project moves into its final fundraising push, the Vancouver Art Gallery has launched a new campaign to engage wider communities, entitled The Build Up. The campaign represents the next chapter in the years-long journey toward the building of a state-of-the-art cultural hub.
The new, purpose-built Gallery, which will be located at 181 West Georgia Street, will transform the presentation of the visual arts in British Columbia more broadly. Notable features in the new building include dedicated space for the Institute of Asian Art, a multi-purpose Indigenous Community House, a state-of-the-art theatre, public outdoor spaces and dedicated artist studios. In addition, the new building will double the Gallery’s current exhibition space, enabling a wider breadth of works from its permanent collection to be presented, along with an even greater variety of Indigenous, Asian and international artists as well as iconic Canadian artists such as Emily Carr.
Designed by renowned Swiss architects Herzog & de Meuron, with executive architect Perkins + Will and in close collaboration with four local Indigenous artists, the new building will be an iconic addition to the city’s skyline, honouring a Coast Salish worldview in the very fabric of the exterior of the building, represented by traditional weaving techniques that will form part of the facade.
With a firm commitment to supporting art and artists, fostering community and learning, celebrating Indigenous cultures and stewarding environmental change, the new Vancouver Art Gallery will provide a platform for expanded access to art for all. An investment in the province’s economy, the new Gallery is expected to generate $88.2 million in tourism. The project is also anticipated to create more than 4,000 jobs during construction and ongoing operations, with an additional $84.4 million in increased GDP related to general operations of the new Gallery.
The new Gallery will be at the heart of a modern cultural hub in the heart of Vancouver, sitting at the intersection of the Vancouver Public Library and the Queen Elizabeth Theatre, bordering Vancouver’s historic Chinatown and Gastown neighbourhoods. One of Canada’s most significant arts and culture projects in a generation, the identity of the new Gallery is being shaped by an accomplished team of individuals assembled around CEO & Executive Director Anthony Kiendl. Recently appointed as Deputy Director & Director of Curatorial Programs, Eva Respini will lead the curatorial vision for the new Gallery. Sirish Rao, the Vancouver Art Gallery’s new Director of Public Engagement & Learning, will continue to enhance the ways in which the Gallery’s public experiences the institution while laying the foundation for an expanded audience in the future. Working collaboratively to shape and drive the vision of the Gallery, the new leadership team will help solidify Vancouver’s place amidst the other cultural capitals of the world.
To learn more about how you can be a part of The Build Up, please visit: www.newvanartgallery.ca.
NOTE: Today, the Vancouver Art Gallery is hosting a bonus Free First Friday Night in celebration of The Build Up. The Gallery is offering free admission for visitors from 4 PM to 8 PM and everyone is encouraged to come down for an inspiring evening of art and enriching public programs. For more details and to reserve your timed ticket, visit www.vanartgallery.bc.ca/free.
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ABOUT VANCOUVER ART GALLERY
Founded in 1931, the Vancouver Art Gallery is recognized as one of North America’s most innovative visual arts institutions. The Gallery’s celebrated exhibitions, extensive public programs and emphasis on advancing scholarship focus on historical and contemporary art from British Columbia and around the world. Special attention is given to the accomplishments of Indigenous artists, as well as to those of the Asia Pacific region—through the Institute of Asian Art founded in 2014. The Gallery’s exhibitions also explore the impact of images in the larger sphere of visual culture, design and architecture.
The Vancouver Art Gallery Is a charitable not-for-profit organization supported by its members, individual donors, corporate funders, foundations, the City of Vancouver, the Province of British Columbia through the BC Arts Council and the Canada Council for the Arts.
The Vancouver Art Gallery is situated on the ancestral and unceded territories of the xʷməθkʷəyəm (Musqueam), Sḵwxwú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations, and is respectful of the Indigenous stewards of the land it occupies, whose rich cultures are fundamental to artistic life in Vancouver and to the work of the Gallery.
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