Art Gallery of Nova Scotia seeks $7M from Halifax for new gallery

The Art Gallery of Nova Scotia is looking for a $7-million contribution from the Halifax region to go toward building a new art gallery on the city's waterfront.

Officials with the art gallery made a presentation to the municipality's community planning committee on Wednesday.

"We're hoping HRM will come with a five per centinvestment on the project," said Colin Stinson, the director of marketing for the art gallery.

"And we're hoping to secure this over a five-year period, which equates to about $1.4 million per year."

A formal request formunicipal funding will be made at a future meeting of Halifax's audit and finance committee.

Ottawa has already agreed to put in $30 million into the $130-million project, and the provincial government has committed just over $66 million. The art gallery also plans to fundraise $30 million from corporate and private donations.

The new art gallery will be located on the Salter Street block of the Halifax waterfront, which is the current home of the jazz festival.

The art gallery's chief executive officer, Nancy Noble, told committee members the new facility will be part of an "arts hub."

"It is really our intent not to push those festivals off," saidNoble."But to create a new arts district that the art gallery will anchor where we can really bring that site to life."

An international call for companies interested in designing the new art gallery is expected early in 2020.

Coun.Sam Austin, a member of the community planning committee, noted the HalifaxCentral Library usedinternational designers.

"Paying a little bit of a premium for good design can pay back returns many times over if you create a space people truly love," said Austin."It would be exciting to have another signature building added to our cityscape."