VANCOUVER - The Vancouver Art Gallery has received a $100 million donation from the Audain Foundation to support the creation of a new building in downtown Vancouver.
The donation, announced Thursday, is billed as the largest single cash gift to an art gallery in Canadian history.
Historic day for the @VanArtGallery with a game-changing $100 million donation from Michael Audain Family Foundation! Mad respect for his vision & passion for building Arts, Culture and Community #PassiveHouse #MassTimber #Reconciliation #Accessibility #Community #PaddleTogether pic.twitter.com/lAU8f8BvzU
— Melanie Mark (@melaniejmark) November 4, 2021
The Vancouver Art Gallery at the Chan Centre for the Visual Arts will be a multifunctional art centre and community space, promising to provide increased space to support artists and the region's cultural sector in British Columbia.
The project is expected to create an estimated 3,000 construction jobs and 1,000 permanent jobs in the tourism sector.
The building design came together after a series of discussions between the gallery, the architectural team, and local Indigenous artists Debra Sparrow, Chepximiya Siyam' Janice George, Skwetsimeltxw Willard (Buddy) Joseph, and Angela George, who have served as art and design consultants on the project since March 2021.
Joseph said the gallery will reflect a Coast Salish world view "from its conception and design."
"The rich exterior expression is much more than a design; it represents spiritual energy and protection," he added.
The project has previously received $40 million from the Chan Family Foundation to establish the Chan Centre for the Visual Arts, and $50 million from the province. The gallery says individual donors and foundations have pledge another $50 million.
