Feds to contribute $15M to Winnipeg Art Gallery's Inuit Art Centre

mardi 2 août 2016

The federal government on Tuesday promised a $15 million contribution to the Winnipeg Art Gallery's Inuit Art Centre, which will house and display the world's largest collection of Inuit art.

Federal Natural Resources Minister Jim Carr made the announcement at the WAG, which is building the four-storey, 40,000-square-foot Inuit Art Centre south of its existing facility. The centre will house Inuit and Indigenous galleries, a vault, five studios and space for artist and curator residencies.

Carr touted the centre as an important cultural amenity for Nunavut and an important tourism draw for Winnipeg.

"It builds on what we already believe to be an exciting array of opportunities for people who come, and much of that will be within walking distance of here," Carr said.

Construction could begin as early as 2017. The city has pledged $5 million toward the project, while the province's commitment is $15 million. The Pallister government, which has placed all funding commitments under review, did not send a representative to the announcement.

WAG director and CEO Stephen Borys said he will not read anything into the absence.

"I'm not really concerned. They have obligations. We're in almost daily dialogue with them on this project. They're well aware of it, and I expect a very positive outcome very soon," Borys said.

Carr called the WAG's collection of Inuit art the most important of its kind on the planet and said displaying it properly is a priority for the Trudeau government. He said he hopes other levels of government will appreciate that.

The Winnipeg Foundation and BMO have promised $1 million each toward the centre. If the provincial commitment stands, roughly $48 million of the $60 million needed for the centre has been pledged.

The centre will provide display space for artwork and artifacts that have been in storage for decades, both at the WAG and in Yellowknife, the capital of the Northwest Territories. The formation of Nunavut in 1999 left the latter collection outside the territory that owns it.