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Update: Feds give $11.5M to art gallery project (3 photos)

The federal funding puts the art gallery at 80 per cent of the $33 million capital cost.

THUNDER BAY – The vision to relocate the Thunder Bay Art Gallery to a prominent location along the city’s waterfront is now in crystal clear focus.

The art gallery on Tuesday received its most sizeable funding contribution with the announcement of $11.5 million from Ottawa through the Canada Cultural Spaces Fund, the largest allocation to be spent from that envelope to date across the country.

Sharon Godwin, the director of the art gallery, said the federal dollars means that 80 per cent of the required $33 million in capital funding has been secured.

“This is a day we know the gallery will be built. This is a reality now,” Godwin said after the funding announcement, which was made on the site of the planned new waterfront gallery at Tugboat Basin immediately south of the Pearl Street entrance to Prince Arthur’s Landing.

The art gallery last year had been pledged $5 million by Thunder Bay city council, though that commitment was contingent upon receiving matching funds from senior levels of government.

The former Ontario Liberal government matched that amount earlier this year, with then-premier Kathleen Wynne announcing a $5 million contribution through the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation.

Having the support from all three levels of government is a big deal, Godwin said.

“It’s gratifying. Thunder Bay is a small community and our gallery is not that large but we have a long history of working with the community, working with artists who are Indigenous, collecting, working with youth and lots of public programming,” Godwin said.

“I think they’ve recognized that and they’ve also recognized the potential we still have in a larger building.”

The planned 38,000 square foot, two-floor building expands the current site on Confederation College campus and will significantly enhance space to display pieces from its 1,600-item collection and host travelling shows.

While there are also plans for a café and expanded gift shop, it’s the three new educational spaces that Godwin finds particularly exciting.

“It really opens up the possibilities,” Godwin said. “Right now we can’t do more than one class at a time. We can’t do a really large workshop. We may have an artist that could accommodate 20 or 30 people but we can’t fit that many in the room with their art supplies.”

Thunder Bay-Superior North MP Patty Hajdu, who made the announcement on behalf of Heritage Minister Melanie Joly, said there is potential to drive future artists.

“There’s an opportunity to build on the work the art gallery already conducts in bringing young people in and bringing multi-generational people in to work together, using the talent of older artists to inspire younger emerging artists,” Hajdu said.

“The opportunities are endless and with the amount of space they have they’ll be able to not just show the fantastic work of our region and Canada’s artists but attract new people to the arts.”

Hajdu said locating the new gallery on the waterfront is important to continue developing arts and culture.

“Building this art gallery is a key piece of the vision that the city of Thunder Bay had so long ago to develop the waterfront, but also to attract young people, to keep young people and to have an economy that continues to thrive,” Hajdu said.

“When you have a strong arts and culture community it creates a community where people want to stay.”

Godwin said the gallery’s 43-year home on the Confederation College campus has kept them out of sight for people who might pass by and be intrigued enough to stop for a visit.

“We believe this is the ultimate location for people to be able to find us for the gallery to be visible,” Godwin said. “We know how popular the waterfront is not only for tourists but for the community. It is, to us, the very ideal location.”



About the Author: Matt Vis

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