A consulting firm has been retained to help “refresh the vision” of the Tom Thomson Art Gallery in Owen Sound and examine options for expansion at the current site.
The gallery’s Director and Chief Curator Aidan Ware provided an update to the Tom Thomson Art Gallery Facility Expansion Ad Hoc Committee at a meeting on Monday, explaining G.M. Diemert Architect Inc. will be producing a report with three different options for achieving an expanded facility on 1st Avenue West.
The options include a hybrid of the current building and a new expansion on the Rice House property, demolishing the current building and constructing a new facility on the current site and Rice House property, or demolishing and embarking on a new build that expands across the road and could include the creation of a community square shared with the library near the river.
The Rice House building is owned by the city and located directly north of the art gallery on 1st Avenue West. The city purchased the property 32 years ago for the purpose of using it for future art gallery expansion.
Ware said the Tom Thomson Art Gallery is looking at the next 50 years as it plans for expansion, and G.M. Diemert Architect’s examination will include a review of past plans, studies and reports to reflect current and future needs.
“Professional consultation is required as we take the next moves with this project,” Ware explained. “It will supply this committee with foundational knowledge with which to make decisions regarding the future expansion of the art gallery at its present location.”
The Tom Thomson Art Gallery Facility Expansion Ad Hoc Committee was struck earlier this year with a mandate of developing an expansion plan at the existing location and adjacent city-owned Rice House property.
The committee heard at Monday’s meeting the current art gallery building is around 14,000 square feet.
Committee member and Coun. Marion Koepke asked about the anticipated square footage that would be required in 30 to 40 years — one of the many questions about future expansion the consultant’s report is expected to address.
Ware said in a report consulting costs are not to exceed $15,000 and will be allocated to the 2021 operating fund of the Tom Thomson Art Gallery.
The report is expected to come back to the Tom Thomson Art Gallery Facility Expansion Ad Hoc Committee in September.
“The idea of this report is to give us something solid to start working from,” Committee member and Coun. Richard Thomas said. “And that’s really the whole purpose of this, to take out the speculation and answer a lot of questions.”
