Despite the gallery fundraising a lot of the money for this renovation through private donors, there was a lot of out cry about public dollars being spent on an "elitest institution that no one would ever visit". I understand why people don't get art.. I just wished they understand that I pay taxes so they can drive to Walmart on public roads that I don't use cause I live car free... so why can't they give a bit and support art... O well!
From Wiki...
The Art Gallery of Alberta (formerly the Edmonton Art Gallery) is a public art gallery located in downtown Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Its collection of well over 6,000 works of art includes historical and contemporary paintings, sculptures, installation works and photographs by Canadian and international artists. In addition to its permanent collection, the AGA hosts visiting exhibitions and offers public education programs.
The vision statement of the AGA is: "The Art Gallery of Alberta creates a welcoming and engaging environment where people are motivated to transform their understanding of the world by connecting with the visual arts."
Originally designed in 1968 as a Brutalist building by Don Bittorf, the gallery recently underwent an $88 million renovation designed by Randall Stout Architects. It reopened in January, 2010. The newly renovated 85,000-square-foot (7,900 m2) space includes almost double the exhibition space of the original building; a restaurant, gallery shop, and 150 seat theatre; and dedicated gallery space for the AGA's permanent collection.
Following the renovation annual memberships of AGA increased significantly and there were 30,000 visitors within the first six weeks of reopening.
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