Rebuilding the Vancouver Art Gallery, a Decade Later

Vancouver Art Gallery

Over 10 years ago, Vancouver Art Gallery (‘VAG’) staff voiced that the current gallery was too small and inadequate for exhibits. While land across from Larwill Park was set aside to have a new gallery be built on, the lack of funding has prevented construction from starting. However, new funding has recently been secured, and the reality of having a larger, more functional VAG is quickly approaching.

The new art gallery will be located in the Chan Centre for the Visual Arts building, named in gratitude of the $40 million donation from the Chan Family Foundation. It will be built on the parking lot across from Larwill Park, located at 668 Cambie Street in Downtown Vancouver. The three-acre plot of land was donated to the Vancouver Art Gallery by the City of Vancouver. The current location of the VAG will be used for other cultural purposes that will be determined after the land is vacated. 

The future Chan Centre for the Visual Arts building is being designed by the Swiss architectural firm Herzog & de Meuron. The input of local Coast Salish artists has also been collected to commemorate the unceded Indigenous land that the building will be situated on. The design has been revised twice since it was originally drafted in 2015—once in 2019 and most recently in 2021.

The 2021 design is based on the Coast Salish worldview and represents “spiritual energy and protection,” according to Coast Salish consultant Skwetsimeltxw Willard ‘Buddy’ Joseph. Wood and copper are being used because of their significance to Coast Salish Peoples and the history of Vancouver. The “woven” copper design represents the traditions of Coast Salish Peoples while acting like one-way glass with a unique visual appearance.

The building will have 10-storeys and will be over 300,000 square feet. It will feature over 80,000 square feet of exhibition space, which is double the size of the current art gallery. The Chan Centre for the Visual Arts building will also include studios for out-of-town artists and an Indigenous community house. A theatre, restaurant, and shop will border the 40,000 square foot courtyard. 

In 2013, the budget for the original design was $350 million. Despite design revisions having been made to be more economical, inflation has raised the cost to $400 million. So far, $240 million has been collected to build the new VAG. There has been $40 million donated from the Chan Family Foundation, $50 million from the BC provincial government, $100 million from the Audain Foundation, and an additional $50 million from other donors. The most recent donation from the Audain Foundation has “almost 100 per cent changed everything,” according to VAG Director Anthony Kiendl. 

However, there is still $160 million remaining for the Vancouver Art Gallery to raise. They hope to receive $80 million from government and community partners, and collect the other $80 million from charitable donations. 

If the remaining $160 million is secured soon, construction could start as early as 2023, allowing the new Vancouver Art Gallery to open in 2028.