THUNDER BAY – “We’re making tangible progress,” the head of the Thunder Bay Art Gallery says as construction continues, despite the chilly waterfront weather.
“Certainly the shores of Lake Superior present its own challenges in terms of weather and working conditions but we are making really strong progress,” Matthew Hills, executive director of the Thunder Bay Art Gallery, told Newswatch.
He said the contractors are focusing on the interior in heated spaces, but recently they installed a weather-tight seal on the gallery’s exterior.
“We’re really pleased to almost be at the 50 per cent mark in terms of completion, particularly in our 50th year. There’s a certain alignment of those numbers that at the gallery we find really exciting as we progress towards opening in 2027,” Hills said.
Construction on the art gallery slowed after the cost ballooned to roughly $75 million, leaving a funding shortfall of almost $23 million from the $57 million forecasted in 2023.
The gallery has already secured $51.9 million in capital support from the municipal, federal, and provincial governments, as well as from other donors.
City council first committed $5 million to the project in 2017, and granted the gallery an additional $2.5 million on the condition that the gallery must demonstrate it has found external funding sources before any money is transferred.
The funding will be given in two phases: $1.25 million from the municipal accommodation tax for partial opening, and another $1.25 million from the Renew Thunder Bay Reserve Fund to support a full opening.
Hills said there are still ongoing conversations with the city about the phased opening approach.
“The city is a key partner, key stakeholder on this, so we have ongoing conversations about how best to meet their needs and make sure that the support the city’s given us, the vision of council for the waterfront and for our building, is realized in a way that’s feasible in a way that benefits the public but ensures there’s also financial efficiency and there’s not additional costs created through partial openings,” he said.
Hills said the gallery is steadily closing the gap as they continue with fundraising efforts.
“We are taking an approach of national philanthropy of looking at an overall philanthropy strategy, and we’ve had really strong traction. That is a longer-term plan, but we are making really strong progress. We know there’s a path forward. We’re working very hard to raise that money, and we’re having some initial success. So, we’re really proud of that and looking forward to sharing those announcements as we can celebrate them with each of the funders and the owners who have the vision, whether it’s corporate or family foundations, to really support the community in this way and drive this forward,” he said.
