A former bank building on Commercial St. in downtown Nanaimo is no longer suitable for the local Art Gallery and its future plans. (Nanaimo Art Gallery)

By Alex Rawnsley

showcase

Staff pitch for new ‘transformational’ Nanaimo Art Gallery location

Dec 10, 2023 | 6:30 AM

NANAIMO — Work continues to try and secure a new, larger home for the Nanaimo Art Gallery.

The Gallery’s current Commercial St. home, contained inside a former bank building, is insufficient and not conducive to a significant renovation which would help the facility grow and thrive.

Carolyn Holmes, executive director of the gallery, told Nanaimo City Councillors on Monday, Dec. 4, a new gallery would cost between $19.5 and $21 million depending on where it’s built, and a new location is preferred.

“A site that could be transformational for the city. It’s one that could provide opportunities and potential to create some kind of urban design anchor for the community. Something that locals could be proud of but also attract tourists.”

Councillors unanimously directed staff to work with the Gallery in identifying two or three potential locations for a new build.

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The biggest challenge facing the Gallery and its continued growth and success, is climate.

Larger scale exhibitions, or certainly more high profile ones, require specialized temperature and humidity controls to ensure the stability of pieces being displayed.

The goal of a new build would be to construct what’s labelled as a “Class A’ gallery, which would include the required climate controls.

A new art gallery would also look to better showcase local artists, through a larger space and more availability for pieces to be displayed.

This would be in addition to the relationships already forged between the Gallery and regional artists.

“Last year we worked with 150 artists, most of them local. They teach in our artists in the school program in three districts, they teach in our programs in Art Lab at the gallery, workshops, classes. They are our staff, they are in our retail store.”

Holmes said they are not asking the City for money, but want to move ahead.

“We have funding in place to develop a business plan and a case for support. We have set aside restricted funds for provincial and federal resiliency grants, and we have $25,000 in arts infrastructure funding from the B.C. Arts Council.”

The Nanaimo Art Gallery has hosted 12 in-house exhibitions and another three touring shows over recent years and saw roughly 22,000 people through the doors in 2022.

They’re in pace to match or exceed those numbers again this year.

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alex@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @NanaimoNewsNOW