The Art Gallery of Peterborough has been on the shore of Little Lake for more than four decades, but staff say “it’s bursting at the seams”.
“It’s been very functional, of course,” said art gallery director Celeste Scopelites. “We were established in ’74, but now we are well over 40 years old, and we are approaching our 50th anniversary and we have outgrown this space in so many ways, and we could do a lot more.”
Scopelites said just over 9,000 square feet is being used in the building, and the majority is hallways that connect spaces. But according to a feasibility study conducted in 2014, the building should be about 20,000 square feet in size.
“We only have one flat floor gallery space where people can be, but of course there’s restrictions on food and drink,” said Scopelites.
Back in 2016, gallery staff created a five-year strategic plan. Its goal is to engage more visitors, grow revenue, and create a plan to help rebuild the gallery.
“We are really finding that we’re accomplishing our goals in a timely manner, and one of the biggest ones is to raise our profile and get more people engaged with what the gallery does on a daily basis,” Scopelites noted.
WATCH: A look inside the vault at Art Gallery of Peterborough (2018)
Scopelites says they have no set timeline, but she is aiming at having a new facility in 10 years at the same Crescent Street location.
“The sooner the better, but we do need to allow time for the plans to be developed, for the funding to fall into place, and we know that does take time,” she said.
Admission to the gallery is free. It features exhibitions, presentations, a shop, and workshops.
To find out more about the gallery’s strategic plan, visit agp.on.ca