Art gallery to make pitch for waterfront location

The Thunder Bay Art Gallery is now confirming it wants to re-locate to Prince Arthur's Landing.

The gallery's director has already made a presentation to the waterfront development committee to propose a new gallery near the former tugboat basin.

Sharon Godwin said moving the gallery from ConfederationCollegeto the waterfront would give it a higher profile and make it "more visible in the public eye."

"[Currently] we are tucked away on campus," she said.

"That's the major reason why we're looking at the waterfront, and obviously it's a lovely, growing location."

Time to rustle up support

The art gallery now has to get the support ofcouncil to build at the waterfront and Godwin said she expects to make a presentation at city hall in May.

"The waterfront is a very good site for the gallery," she noted.

"It has no real issues around contamination or anything like that. There's infrastructure close by, all the underground things we would need. So, all in all ... it would be a good choice for a site."

Godwin said the project would need some federal and possibly provincial government funding to pay for a new building.

The soonest the gallery could be open would be some time in 2017.

The new art gallery has the potential to bring in about $7 million in visitor spending annually, Godwin said.