NORTHWEST TERRITORIES ART CENTRE

There is currently no public art gallery in the Northwest Territories. The proposed Art Centre in Yellowknife aims to change that, creating a first-of-its-kind cultural institution grounded in place, people and purpose.

Lord Cultural Resources was engaged in 2022 to lead a Concept Refinement and Feasibility Study for the Centre and again in 2025 to update the study following confirmation that the site will be Akaitcho Hall, a former residential school. This context has shaped a vision rooted in care and community-led renewal.

The Art Centre is envisioned to:

• Celebrate northern creativity by supporting the making, sharing and learning of art and craft in the Northwest Territories and across the circumpolar world
• Support artists at every stage by providing professionally curated exhibition space for existing, emerging and future visual artists in Yellowknife and the NWT
• Keep northern art in the North by establishing a Category A, museum-quality institution eligible under Canadian Cultural Property legislation, enabling works to be collected, donated and repatriated locally
• Strengthen creative livelihoods by improving conditions for artists to earn a living wage, build careers and access training, residencies and funding programs
• Foster exchange across the North through exhibitions, residencies and partnerships with northern Canadian and circumpolar communities
• Engage youth and communities through accessible art-making and creative programs delivered in person, online and through travelling initiatives
• Anchor cultural tourism by creating a distinctive destination that strengthens Yellowknife’s cultural infrastructure and supports an authentic NWT brand in art, craft, design and digital arts

Fundraising has been initiated to lead to the implementation of this transformative cultural centre that supports artists, honours place and creates lasting social, cultural and economic impact for the Northwest Territories.