BC government to provide $100 million for new Vancouver Art Gallery

Artistic rendering of the new Vancouver Art Gallery building. (Herzog & de Meuron/Perkins&Will/Vancouver Art Gallery)

The provincial government has considereably narrowed the Vancouver Art Gallery’s (VAG) budget gap for constructing its new purpose-built, state-of-the-art art gallery building in downtown Vancouver.

In a press conference this morning, BC Tourism Minister Lisa Beare announced the provincial government will provide the project with $50 million in new funding.

This increases the provincial government’s total contribution to the project to $100 million, in addition to the $50 million the province first committed in 2008, under the leadership of then-Premier Gordon Campbell.

The provincial government’s latest commitment narrows the remaining fundraising that needs to be done to $80 million — VAG has effectively now raised a total of $320 million for its $400 million project.

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“The Vancouver Art Gallery is a flagship cultural institution in BC, and we are proud to provide this additional investment to make this new building a reality,” said Lisa Beare, BC minister of tourism. ͞

“The new gallery will be a social, artistic and commercial hub and will enrich tourism and cultural experiences in the region for residents and visitors alike.”

vancouver art gallery lisa beare october 14 2022

BC tourism minister Lisa Beare at the October 14, 2022 press conference announcing new provincial funding for the new Vancouver Art Gallery. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)

vancouver art gallery larwill park parking lot

Site of the future home of the Vancouver Art Gallery at 668 Cambie Street. (Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive)

Revised 2021 design of the new building for the Vancouver Art Gallery at Larwill Park. (Vancouver Art Gallery)

Anthony Kiendl, the director and CEO of VAG, added: “The new Vancouver Art Gallery will truly be a community space for the growth of BC’s arts and cultural sector, the enjoyment of the public and the prosperity of the region… We are [now] closer to realizing our vision of a new gallery that better reflects everyone in BC.”

VAG’s previously secured fundraising includes $29 million from the federal government towards the structure’s Passive House green building design, which was announced in June 2022.

It was actually a year ago, in early November 2021, that the once-stalled project gained new momentum — when the VAG received $100 million as a gift from the namesake family foundation of Michael Audain, a renowned art collector and philanthropist, and the chairman of local development firm Polygon Homes.

Prior to the pandemic, the VAG raised $40 million from the Chan Family Foundation, and $50 million from individual donors and foundations.

The City of Vancouver has offered a portion of its parking lot property at the corner of West Georgia and Cambie streets — a lot the size of two-thirds of a block — for a nominal lease over 99 years.

2021 design of the new Vancouver Art Gallery. (Herzog & de Meuron/Perkins + Will)

The stacked box architectural concept utilizing wood materials is designed by internationally renowned Swiss firm Herzog & de Meuron and the local office of Perkins & Will. Local First Nations artists Debra Sparrow, Willard Joseph, Janice George, and Angela George also contributed to the various 2021 design revisions made to the original 2015 design, adding an Indigenous flair to the facade.

There will be 80,000 sq ft of exhibition space — double the floor area of its existing exhibition area inside the heritage courthouse building at Robson Square. It will exhibit Indigenous, Asian, Canadian, and international art, as well as the permanent collection.

Additionally, there will be 60,000 sq ft of outdoor terraces, including a 25,000 sq ft outdoor public space for events, people to gather, and interactive art.

With the use of mass timber and a Passive House standard, it will be the most environmentally sustainable art museum in Canada, according to the VAG.

Kiendl says the project is now timed to see a construction start sometime in 2023. Completion and opening is targeted for 2027.

2021 design of the new Vancouver Art Gallery. (Herzog & de Meuron/Perkins + Will)

vancouver art gallery design 2021 level 1 ground floor

Floor plan: Level 1 ground floor, new Vancouver Art Gallery 2021 design. (Herzog & de Meuron/Perkins + Will)

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