Does the Vancouver Art Gallery have a new controversy on its hands? |
The Vancouver Art Gallery in February, 2021. The gallery announced it was making deep cuts to staff and programming last June due to attendance and revenue hitting a 15-year low.DARRYL DYCK/The Canadian Press
Some time this year, the Vancouver Art Gallery is expected to share conceptual renderings of the new – er, latest – design for its controversy-plagued new home.
For those just tuning in, the desire to build a new headquarters for the VAG has now been years in the making. To say it’s been a humbling exercise would be trite. Depending on who you talk to, the idea is either delusional, or the vision of true believers who won’t be cowed by setbacks or negative headlines.
Originally, Swiss “starchitect” firm Herzog & de Meuron got the assignment to come up with the design. And they did. And it was grand. And it was also extremely expensive. Truthfully, the VAG had no business employing such a costly firm to come up with a vision, even if the result was stunning. With an eventual projected price tag of more than $600-million, it was beyond the gallery’s means.
Ultimately, reality prevailed: Herzog & de Meuron were let go and the gallery hired two architecture firms – Formline, a local outfit, as well as Toronto-based KPMB. Formline’s founder is Alfred Waugh, one of the few registered First Nations architects in Canada. Mr. Waugh is not someone........