NORTHWEST TERRITORIES ART CENTRE

There is no public art gallery in the Northwest Territories. Lord Cultural Resources was engaged to conduct a Concept Development and Feasibility Study for an Art Centre in Yellowknife. The Centre is planned to meet the following main objectives:

• Celebrate the creativity of the people of the Northwest Territories by providing opportunities for making, sharing and learning about art and craft where they live and in the circumpolar world.
• Meet the needs of existing, emerging and future visual artists in Yellowknife and the NWT to display their works of art, craft and design in a professionally curated and operated facility.
• Provide incentives so that works of art created in the NWT can be collected in the NWT, donated to the NWT and repatriated by establishing a Category A museum quality institution that qualifies for those purposes under Canadian Cultural Property legislation.
• Improve conditions so that visual artists in the Northwest Territories earn a living wage from their work, establish careers, and qualify for financial support from funding programs including training and residencies.
• Stimulate art exhibitions, art exchanges and artist residencies between the NWT and other northern Canadian and circumpolar communities.
• Offer art-making and related creative programs, including those designed for NWT youth, in Yellowknife and throughout the NWT online and where possible through traveling programs.
• Contribute to the tourism infrastructure of Yellowknife and the Northwest Territories by creating a professional art centre and distinctive destination that collaborates with commercial galleries, fairs and the tourism market by supporting a quality, authentic NWT brand in art, craft, design and digital arts.