[BCMA] CMA Clip Serv: To stay or go? VAH forum = no conclusions

Wed May 26 15:44:21 PDT 2010

So the Vancouver Museum is eager to occupy the hollow shell of the VAG digs once the latter steps into its new stratocumulus loft. That'll cost an additional $250 million on top of the $500 million the Art Galley wants. (Don't forget, these are initial estimates only; do you know what's just happened to the G8 Security costs estimates?).

Oh well, its "Vancouver what's-a billion City" on the loose again.

Dan Gallacher

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Moderated BCMA subscriber listserv. 
  To: bcma at lists.vvv.com 
  Sent: Wednesday, May 26, 2010 9:35 AM
  Subject: [BCMA] CMA Clip Serv: To stay or go? VAH forum = no conclusions

  To stay or go? Art gallery forum draws no 
  conclusions 
  Standing room-only crowd offers contrasting visions for future of the Vancouver Art Gallery 
  Marsha Lederman, The Globe and Mail, Friday, May 21, 2010 

  For two summers, Cathy Burrell volunteered at the Vancouver Art Gallery. As an ambassador, she was stationed in the lobby, where she would answer visitors' questions. She heard a lot of the same inquiries: why do we have to pay $21 to get in and where are the Emily Carr paintings? 

  "I think that the Vancouver Art Gallery has a bit of a split personality," Ms. Burrell said. "You've got Emily Carr shoved up on the fifth floor, five pieces being shown; you've got a collection of Japanese animé on the third floor; you've got on the second floor, a Chinese artist. It was a lot to explain to people.. I think the 
  people that come from the rest of the world deserve to see something that is well thought out." 

  Burrell made the comments Thursday night at a public forum on the future of the VAG, an issue that has become a hotly-debated preoccupation of the city's chattering classes since the gallery indicated its desire to move to a site a few blocks east of its current location. 

  The standing room-only crowd was packed with city and gallery officials, and distinguished artists and architects - among them Roy Arden (for the move) and Bing Thom (against it). 

  The VAG says it needs to expand so it can offer visitors like those Burrell encountered some exposure to its permanent collection, in particular works by Carr and other iconic B.C. artists. The current facility, an old courthouse renovated by Arthur Erickson almost 30 years ago to house the gallery, is too small to allow for that, the administration argues, and is also lacking a lecture hall, adequate space for educational programming, and sufficient storage space. 

  "It's outgrown the building," said builder/philanthropist Michael Audain, the chair of the VAG's relocation committee and one of the evening's panelists. 

  The VAG wants to build a new, iconic building on a vacant piece of land that once housed a bus depot. The cost could run as high as $400-million. The VAG has raised about $90-million so far - $50- million from the province, and the rest from private donors. 

  The city, while it hasn't made a decision (in fact, it has not yet received a formal proposal from the VAG), has indicated that if the VAG is granted that land, it will likely have to share it - probably with an office tower. 

  That point has been emphasized by city councillor Heather Deal, who is taking the lead on the issue for the city. 

  She says she's trying to keep a positive attitude toward the possibility of a move, but says most of the people she hears from are opposed to it. 

  "When people respond to this, they respond in a visceral fashion. There's some logic, there are many opinions, but it's emotional. People are excited or they're angry or they're fearful." 

  The issue has caused deep divisions among the city's deep thinkers, and that was apparent at the forum, with a wide range of opinions expressed, as well as suggestions. Why not have a new VAG share the land with a badly-needed concert hall? What about building underground the current facility? Or expanding to the Sears building across the street? Or keeping the current site and constructing a satellite gallery elsewhere for contemporary exhibitions? 

  Artist Ian Wallace, a member of the panel, said he was "very impressed" with the gallery's plan, and that this is the time to move forward. Fellow panelist architect Joost Bakker argued for a more cautionary approach. "The full court press ... for a new gallery re- location is premature." 

  While there was no overwhelmingly prevailing opinion, the most passionate and forceful speaker of the night was Andrew Gruft, Professor Emeritus of architecture and urban design at the University of British Columbia's School of Architecture. He argued the VAG would lose half its walk-up attendance if it moved, and that the city 
  would lose a cherished gathering space. 

  "The VAG's moving ... would be akin to tearing the heart out of the city. ... We've got this wonderful kind of synergy with the Vancouver Art Gallery, our premiere art institution in the heart of the city. Man, people would kill to get that anywhere else. And here we're going to walk away from it?" 

  The current site is indeed a magnet for the public. Whether they're celebrating hockey victories or protesting political decisions, Vancouverites are drawn to the VAG. 

  But panelist Andrew Pask of the Vancouver Public Space Network says the old bus depot site once served the same function. From 1901 to 1950, it was the place where people came together for carnivals, military marches and protests. "You should know that for more than half a century, this particular site served as one of the city's finest gathering areas." 

  Audain wanted to clear something else up: if the VAG vacates the courthouse, the building would not be torn down. There are other groups vying for that space; among them, the Museum of Vancouver. 

  After more than two hours of arguments, gallery director Kathleen Bartels, who sat quietly in the audience throughout the debate, sometimes smiling, sometimes frowning, said she felt it was a good discussion. "Nothing really surprised me. We've been at this for a long time." 

  ---   30   --- 

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