Carnegie Gallery, Dundas Museum get $2.45 million
http://www.thespec.com/news/local/ar...t-2-45-million
The province announced $2.45 million in funding for two key Dundas institutions that support art and art history.
The Carnegie Gallery and the Dundas Museum and Archives are each getting $1.225 million to refurbish their buildings and make them more accessible to the public, said Ted McMeekin, MPP for Ancaster-Dundas-Flamborough-Westdale.
The institutions have been working with various levels of government, through the Dundas Arts Community Foundation, since 2005 to try to raise funds. The DACF raises funds for the gallery, museum and the Dundas Valley School of Art.
Nancy Gray, chair of the Carnegie Gallery’s board said the funds were badly needed because all three institutions are housed in very old buildings, which present barriers to accessibility.
After two-and-a-half years of lobbying the province for funds, Gray is grateful for the money and support.
“I’m so happy. I’m just so overwhelmed because when something really matters to you, you’re never sure how much it matters to everyone else … It’s just like walking on a cloud,” she said
The funds will help the gallery build additional exhibit space and an atrium that will provide a sheltered access to their elevator, which is only accessible from outside the building.
The museum will also be able to expand its space, although specific details of how the money will be used are yet to be determined by the museum’s board. Funding for the museum comes on the heels of a $75,000 grant early this year from the Ontario Trillium Foundation to expand its storage space for archives.
The Dundas Valley School of Art received $2.45 million early last year from the federal government.
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