New Vancouver Art Gallery | Proposed

[mr.x]

Originally Posted by SpongeG

are you anti-native?

No. There's simply no logic behind having a second major First Nations museum, the Museum of Anthropology at UBC fulfills the needs of the region...it's a major museum. It doesn't make sense at all to have two museums with the same purpose competing against each other, unless this Vanier Park museum is managed by the UBC MOA as well as a satellite museum though highly unlikely.

I'd rather see the space used for an entirely different type of museum, something that we don't already have. If we want more native exhibits, have the MOA expand again in 20 years.

[ozonemania]

I'm surprised to read that the Museum of Vancouver is interested in the current VAG site. Did they not early on discount this possibility because it is too small?

If MoV does move to the VAG building, I agree with the earlier comment about UBC vacating Robson Square and allowing the MoV to expand into this space. UBC should have a 'real' campus downtown anyway. C'mon UBC, step up to the plate already!

However, my personal wish for the current VAG site is the National Portrait Gallery.

Not for the VAG site, but I really think Vancouver would do well to have a Natural History Museum. We have so many things to say about this part of the world.

[trofirhen]

Originally Posted by ozonemania

I'm surprised to read that the Museum of Vancouver is interested in the current VAG site. ...........
However, my personal wish for the current VAG site is the National Portrait Gallery. ....................
I really think Vancouver would do well to have a Natural History Museum. We have so many things to say about this part of the world.

I think a National Portrait Gallery for the current VAG site is an excellent idea.

My only questions on it are these:
Doesn't a NATIONAL Portrait Gallery have to be in the capital, or major city (i.e. Ottawa, or maybe Toronto), and not in a regional city, which Vancouver is?

Does a National Portrait Gallery, by tradition, focus on political and historical leaders of the country or is it wide open to display anybody who has made a contribution to Canadian society in any context, be it a writer, artist, musician, sports legend ........

Will the general population, with all their range of tastes, go for this? It's a rather aristocratic concept, and one worthy of a true world city, but I wonder if the Vancouver mentality (and by that I simply mean tending to be somewhat parochial, no offense intended) will go for the idea. I would.

[SpikePhanta]

Originally Posted by ozonemania

I'm surprised to read that the Museum of Vancouver is interested in the current VAG site. Did they not early on discount this possibility because it is too small?

If MoV does move to the VAG building, I agree with the earlier comment about UBC vacating Robson Square and allowing the MoV to expand into this space. UBC should have a 'real' campus downtown anyway. C'mon UBC, step up to the plate already!

However, my personal wish for the current VAG site is the National Portrait Gallery.

Not for the VAG site, but I really think Vancouver would do well to have a Natural History Museum. We have so many things to say about this part of the world.

Move the UBC to International Village since that place is deadd.

[paradigm4]

Originally Posted by SpikePhanta

Move the UBC to International Village since that place is deadd.

Now that's a cool idea. UBC is far too stuck up to ever play along though.

[trofirhen]

Originally Posted by paradigm4

Now that's a cool idea. UBC is far too stuck up to ever play along though.

They might, if the price $$ is right.

[mr.x]

It would be for the greater good for everyone else if UBC moved out of Robson Square so that we can find a better use for it, but it's a smart strategic move by UBC to keep their Robson Square location....they won't ever be able to find such a central location and in the Central Business District for a campus, albeit being small, especially since UBC Robson Square is mainly a campus for the UBC Sauder School of Business (very much how SFU Harbour Centre is also mainly a campus for their business school).

And they don't necessarily have to move out of Robson Square in order to have a new satellite campus at International Village...there's plenty of demand for UBC, they can definitely keep bohth.

[nova9]

Could Emily Carr use the International Village?

[jsbertram]

One idea recently was for Van School Board to lease 2nd floor of International Village for a new Elementary School, rather than build a new one on the temporary parking lot site at the SE corner of Firenze Towers. My understanding was that this SE corner space was to be a community centre and small school.

Perhaps build the elementary school & community centre anyhow in the SE corner, and then build a new High School in International Village 2nd floor? Would TinselTown move out to get more space for the High School (2nd & 3rd floors)?

[Rusty Gull]

Originally Posted by mr.x

It would be for the greater good for everyone else if UBC moved out of Robson Square so that we can find a better use for it, but it's a smart strategic move by UBC to keep their Robson Square location....they won't ever be able to find such a central location and in the Central Business District for a campus, albeit being small, especially since UBC Robson Square is mainly a campus for the UBC Sauder School of Business (very much how SFU Harbour Centre is also mainly a campus for their business school).

And they don't necessarily have to move out of Robson Square in order to have a new satellite campus at International Village...there's plenty of demand for UBC, they can definitely keep bohth.

It should be clarified that SFU's business school has its own separate building on Granville Street. The Harbour Centre campus is actually quite diverse, and contains continuing studies and a number of other programs serving downtown.

As for UBC - yes, it would be interesting if its business school were to take over the VAG. Talk about a high-profile location!

In all seriousness, though, it's not a huge leap to think that UBC could move into the building. They could certainly fill the space - and benefit from the cafe upstairs. But I'm still not sold on their tenancy - nor do I think the Vancouver Museum or the BC Supreme Court are ideal tenants at this point.

[teriyaki]

Originally Posted by Rusty Gull

It should be clarified that SFU's business school has its own separate building on Granville Street. The Harbour Centre campus is actually quite diverse, and contains continuing studies and a number of other programs serving downtown.

As for UBC - yes, it would be interesting if its business school were to take over the VAG. Talk about a high-profile location!

In all seriousness, though, it's not a huge leap to think that UBC could move into the building. They could certainly fill the space - and benefit from the cafe upstairs. But I'm still not sold on their tenancy - nor do I think the Vancouver Museum or the BC Supreme Court are ideal tenants at this point.

I think UBC would generate more of the "right" type of traffic that blends in with what we see as a pedestrian/shopping boulevard of sorts. A courthouse would not see nearly as much pedestrian traffic and wouldn't significantly add to the energy of the area.

What about a shopping bazaar? Like a permanent "night market", but indoors. A lot of places in asia re-fit old buildings for purposes like this, but the VAG does have some historic charm that might not match with that too well.

[SpikePhanta]

Originally Posted by jsbertram

One idea recently was for Van School Board to lease 2nd floor of International Village for a new Elementary School, rather than build a new one on the temporary parking lot site at the SE corner of Firenze Towers. My understanding was that this SE corner space was to be a community centre and small school.

Perhaps build the elementary school & community centre anyhow in the SE corner, and then build a new High School in International Village 2nd floor? Would TinselTown move out to get more space for the High School (2nd & 3rd floors)?

There is no need for a highschool there. I have friends who live in the area who just go to either King George, Britannia or Kitsilano.

And they would never move TInseltown out, it's their main tenant.

[trofirhen]

Originally Posted by nova9

Could Emily Carr use the International Village?

It's a posibility, I reckon. What about using the VAG building for the Emily Carr School of Art? IMHO, that aristocratic building requires something a little bit highbrow. A school of art would possibly be such a thing, although my first choice is that of Ozonemania - A National Portrait Gallery - but I don't think the people of Vancouver are ready for such a thing.

[nova9]

Originally Posted by trofirhen

It's a posibility, I reckon. What about using the VAG building for the Emily Carr School of Art? IMHO, that aristocratic building requires something a little bit highbrow. A school of art would possibly be such a thing, although my first choice is that of Ozonemania - A National Portrait Gallery - but I don't think the people of Vancouver are ready for such a thing.

I really do think a National Portrait Gallery belongs in a capital city. We Canadians are too quick to come down on Ottawa but it is the capital, it should have a much more substantial presence in our minds and hearts.

[jsbertram]

Wasn't there almost a deal reached to have the National Portrait Gallery included as part of "The Bow" being built in Calgary?

Don't remember why it didn't happen -especially being located in PM Stevie's riding.

[Yume-sama]

Calgary, Edmonton, and Ottawa all bid for it. I recall Calgary was initially chosen by the Heritage Minister, however, later all proposals were rejected... in all three cities, by the government.

There were a lot of people in Calgary who didn't want to have their tax dollars spent on it.

Something about old pictures of French liberals being uninteresting

[Rusty Gull]

Yeah, the portraits gallery would be obscenely boring.

Why not the Royal Museum of BC? That's a pretty interesting museum, and it happens to be losing a lot of money at its current Victoria location.

Relocate it to downtown Vancouver, where you can probably double traffic and revenues overnight.

[jsbertram]

Perhaps the sweetener would have been adding an Official Portrait of PM Stevie to the Gallery to counter-balance all the old french liberal PMs?

[trofirhen]

Originally Posted by Rusty Gull

Yeah, the portraits gallery would be obscenely boring.

Why not the Royal Museum of BC? That's a pretty interesting museum, and it happens to be losing a lot of money at its current Victoria location.

Relocate it to downtown Vancouver, where you can probably double traffic and revenues overnight.

Great idea!! And a practical one, too. It would make a real destination in the heart of town, and enliven the Georgia Street Square, as well as Robson Square

[mr.x]

Originally Posted by Rusty Gull

Yeah, the portraits gallery would be obscenely boring.

Why not the Royal Museum of BC? That's a pretty interesting museum, and it happens to be losing a lot of money at its current Victoria location.

Relocate it to downtown Vancouver, where you can probably double traffic and revenues overnight.

It would be great if we could relocate the Royal Museum of BC to Downtown, it would be an instant success...our own big city museum.

But the museum is one of Victoria's few tourist attractions, and even though it does lose money it does bring in tourists to the city.