A late May groundbreaking ceremonially kicked off construction for Winnipeg’s new Inuit Art Centre. Designed by Los Angeles-based Michael Maltzan Architecture in association with Winnipeg’s Cibinel Architects Ltd., the $65-million project will “house the Gallery?s celebrated collection of contemporary Inuit art and provide new facilities for an expanded studio art and educational program,” the Michael Maltzan website explains.
The site provides more details:
The 40,000 square-foot addition to the iconic existing building by Gustavo da Roza faces south toward the Manitoba Legislature building in downtown Winnipeg, and will include new galleries, a lecture theatre, research areas, and a visible art storage vault. With a collection of nearly 13,000 works of Inuit art, the WAG has had a long and continuous commitment to the research, exhibition, and publication of art by the Canadian Inuits. The IAC will be the largest exhibition gallery in Canada devoted to indigenous art. As part of the design process, Michael Maltzan joined Winnipeg Art Gallery Director Stephen Borys, Curator of Inuit Art Dr. Darlene Coward Wight, Associate Architect George Cibinel, and architectural photographer Iwan Baan on a trip to the province of Nunavut to visit Inuit communities and active artists? studios. The expedition provided a unique opportunity for the project team to experience the people, culture, and landscape of the North during the formative conceptual design phase ...