Vancouver Art Gallery (VAG) representatives expect Vancouver city council on January 20 to vote in favour of a staff proposal to earmark a two-acre downtown site to be the future home of a new purpose-built art gallery.
The proposal is to set aside, for up to two years, a site at 688 Cambie Street best known for being a former Greyhound bus depot and the home of the Olympic Downtown Live site.
“The idea of the cultural hub isn’t new. It’s been out there for a while. We’re excited because we’ve been waiting a long time for confirmation that we can get the site,” said David Aisenstat, chair of VAG’s board of trustees.
“Without confirmation, we can’t move down the road with architects or fundraising. Now, we’ll be at the point where we can move down the road full speed ahead.”
Aisenstat told Business in Vancouver on Friday that the province has already contributed $50 million to a new art gallery site. That money is in the bank.
“We’re hopeful that the province will contribute more money. There’s no reason to think they won’t. We’re hopeful that the feds will come on board,” Aisenstat said.
Aisenstat praised Mayor Gregor Robertson for not cutting the city’s arts and culture budget despite a tough economy and budget pressures.