THUNDER BAY – The Thunder Bay Art Gallery has launched a second, multi-million dollar fundraising campaign as it confronts cost increases for its new waterfront build.
The project, which began construction over the summer, was previously pegged at roughly $50 million, a figure that had itself climbed significantly from earlier estimates.
Matthew Hills, the gallery’s new executive director, said in an interview Thursday that recent cost estimates put the project around $57 million, while cautioning that figure was still “evolving.”
Art gallery leaders have warned for months that costs were on the rise, but Thursday marked the first time they had shared a specific estimate.
At a fundraising launch held at the gallery’s current location on Confederation College’s campus, Hills said some design changes have already been made in an attempt to trim costs, but additional funds will also be necessary.
“There have been significant modifications in terms of designs, areas where we can capitalize on cost savings and look to be more efficient in terms of the design and the ways that we’re working and building.”
Sharon Godwin, who recently departed as executive director and has stayed on as project lead for the new build, told attendees the rising costs are not unusual for pandemic-era projects.
“It won’t be a surprise, I think, to any of you that building projects currently occurring in the country are experiencing increased construction material and labour costs, as well as supply chain issues, due to the impact of the pandemic and inflation,” she said. “Thunder Bay’s waterfront art gallery project is no exception, and we have more challenges ahead.”
At Thursday’s launch, the organization announced it is seeking to raise $5 million from the community over the next 12 to 16 months.
The gallery previously raised around $2.7 million in a first phase of fundraising, and has attracted $47.5 million in government support, with 70 per cent from the feds and the remainder roughly split between the province and municipality.
Asked if the gallery could still proceed with the build if it does not achieve its ambitious fundraising target, Hills called that an unlikely “worst-case scenario,” without completely ruling it out.
“I have confidence we’ll reach those goals,” he said.
Shelley Crawford, a gallery board member who is heading the fundraising campaign, acknowledged the target as ambitious, but expressed confidence.
“I think it’s going to be hard,” she said. “On the other hand, we already know that $2.7 million has come to us from those same groups. It strikes me that once you start to see the building go up – It was growing every day, and that is going to mean people see their investment come to life.”
The gallery will be appealing for one-time or monthly donations, as well as in-kind support, which could include providing materials, fixtures, furnishings, or landscaping to assist with the build.
“We will look to the community, the corporations, the foundations, the individuals,” said Crawford. “We’re hoping they will see a way to honour their family or invest some of their stocks or give a naming opportunity of something in that building that will leave a legacy.”
Representatives from Patkau Architects and Brook McIlroy shared some new images of the gallery while offering a “digital walkthrough” at Thursday’s event.
The new building will offer more than double the current gallery space — 39,000 square feet on two floors, versus 16,000 now — and add new features like a café and event space.
It will also feature expanded classroom spaces that could host an artist in residence, as well as programming like art classes.
It will offer numerous views onto Lake Superior and the Sleeping Giant, as well as higher ceilings and a design leaders say will make it an “architectural gem” on the city’s waterfront.
Hills said the gallery is still on track to open the new location in late 2025, calling that target reasonable and “relatively firm.”
The gallery secured final city council approval to build the facility in April.
Construction is expected to take 24 to 26 months on the project, which was first proposed in 2009 and faced numerous delays, including from COVID-19.
Hills believes the new location will be transformational for the gallery, making it a place people can discover while spending time downtown, rather than having to seek it out.
“I think one of the things you cannot discount is what curators will call a stumble-upon factor, the ways in which you have these casual encounters with art,” he said.
“People are going to stumble upon the art gallery and our art collection in all these different ways. I also think that centralized location allows for a different degree of accessibility and outreach in relation to community. We have incredible education and public programs already in place, but this shift in our scale and operations allows for far more of that work.”
The gallery also announced Thursday a significant donation from Brent Scollie would allow it to commission a piece by artist Christi Belcourt for the new gallery.
Scollie said the piece, expected to measure around 7’ by 4’, “will make a statement.”
