The Vancouver Art Gallery is icon in our city and was a central hub of activity during the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games and although the building won’t be going anywhere… it’s what’s inside that counts.

Photo credit: rodefeld on Flickr

A relocation, that would see it move out of the old courthouse building, has been in the works for a few years. The first plan was to build a new facility for the art gallery in North East False Creek to accompany the expanding collection however plans have changed.

The 604 Homes Blog covered the then-approved move in 2008:

“Late last week the City of Vancouver approved the plan to build a brand new art gallery on the site of the old Plaza of Nations. The re-development would also include the a number of new highrise condo buildings, a new retractable roof for BC Place and retail opportunities around a new plaza. Although this area is a bit dead at the moment. I do see the possibilities for this area in the future. It could work as a link between the International Village / Tinseltown area condos and False Creek, especially once Concord Pacific builds its last False Creek towers (in the area that looks like a parking lot to the left (east) in this photo.”

However, that plan became unraveled as Frances Bula explains in her post from 2009:

“As I mentioned in my previous post, there are lots of simmering undercurrents in the city’s attempts to plan Northeast False Creek. One of the biggest is what is happening with the Vancouver Art Gallery. If you’ll recall, Premier Gordon Campbell made the strangest announcement of all time last May when he said the gallery would be relocating to a site near the old Expo Plaza of Nations. That was even though he is 1. not the owner of the land 2. not the director of the art gallery 3. not a city planner or council member. Whatever.

There was an obscure line in the news release saying that the landowner, Canadian Metropolitan Properties, which now owns the Plaza of Nations land, was willing to allow the gallery to move there in return for ‘future development considerations’ from the city. We’ve NEVER had the details on what all of that meant and neither has the city. Staffers to this day will talk about how the announcement came as a ‘total surprise’ to them, even though they were in the midst of allegedly trying to plan this area.”

With the North East False Creek expansion and relocation squashed, the next candidate property is the old bus depot at Cambie and Georgia. There is even a website up to provide information about the proposed move. “We’ve outgrown our Robson Square site and need a new building built specifically for our needs,” states the website.

Reasons to Move the Art Gallery
As listed on the New Van Art Gallery website…

• Only 3% of our permanent collection is on view at any given time. Our vault is full to overflowing. The Gallery has had to resort to costly off site storage for part of the permanent collection.
• Line-ups and overcrowding during exhibitions. The Vancouver Art Gallery’s permanent exhibition space is 10 times smaller than the average North American museum.
• We have no dedicated space for educational and school programs.
• We have no theatre, lecture hall or gathering space. That means no room for family and adult programs, artist’s talks, lectures and special events.
• We believe we have a responsibility to look to the future. That means a new, purpose-built Gallery that will serve and excite visitors and residents for decades to come.

To many who live in or visit Vancouver, the Art Gallery is a centrepiece of the downtown core. It’s home to rallies, protests, festivals, entertainment, and steps to sit and people-watch. Originally the city’s courthouse, the building was designed by architect Francis Mawson Rattenbury, who also designed the provincial legislature buildings and the Fairmont Empress in Victoria.

1910s – Archives item#: CVA 789-94

The first Vancouver Art Gallery opened in 1931 at 1145 West Georgia – a property donated by Henry Reifel. In 1945, Emily Carr donated 145 paintings and sketches to the collection. It wasn’t until October 15, 1983 that the Vancouver Art Gallery opened in its current location, in the old courthouse building.

Having lived in its current location for just under 30 years, many are vehemently opposed to having the gallery move outside of its central location downtown. “The City asked people to show their support by contacting council but today’s Globe and Mail reports, they’ve counted only seven emails so far,” says News 1130.

If you have an opinion about the move for the Vancouver Art Gallery the City would really like to know. There is a public forum regarding the proposed move tonight at Robson Square starting at 7:00pm.

One of my favourite websites about our city, Vancouver is Awesome, is venturing into late night next week. While they don’t plan on rivaling Leno’s scripted laughs or Fallon’s dance moves, they just might top Craig Ferguson’s awesomeness. The best part is, we’re all invited to take part.

A Night at MOV with Conor Holler, Volume 1 will take place next Friday, May 28th and will be hosted by Conner Holler whose web series Mental Beast has recently been nominated for a Leo Award (aka the Canadian Oscars).

Bob Kronbauer, Managing Editor and Executive Director of Vancouver is Awesome gave me the rundown. “It’s kind of like a classic talk show – desk, couch, host, intro, musical interlude – all that sort of stuff except with a Vancouver angle and for a younger audience.”

Holler will interview and host Charles Demers (comedian and author of Vancouver Special), Grant Lawrence (CBC Radio 3 personality and author of the forthcoming book Adventures in Solitude) and musical guest Dan Mangan.

“We’re putting a lot of work into it,” said Bob. “The guests will be super interesting, there will be sketches in between, a video component, and it should just be really fun.” The evening will also be co-hosted by writer Craig Anderson.

Doors (and the cash bar) for the evening open at 7:00pm with the show beginning at 8:00pm. Audience members will also get to enjoy an after party and the chance to stick around and explore the Museum of Vancouver’s exhibits such as Fox, Fluevog, and Friends.

Vancouver is Awesome is a community-based non-profit organization dedicated to the study, promotion and preservation of Vancouver arts and culture, with a positive spin. They have partnered with the Museum of Vancouver to host events as “programmers in residence” so this is the first of several prime-time specials to come.

Add yourself to the Facebook event to mark your calendar and be sure to scoop up your tickets for $25 (or $30 at the door).

The mascots for the London 2012 Olympic Summer Games have been revealed and coming fresh off a Quatchi-high in Vancouver, I can’t help but compare.

© Locog – posted by Mandeville

The Vancouver 2010 mascots were revealed in 2007 as Sumi, Quatchi, Miga and their unofficial sidekick Mukmuk appeared in a West coast inspired cartoon introduction. The London 2012 mascots have been presented with a similar way, with a full background story about the chosen pair, Wenlock and Mandeville. They came from the molten steel in Bolton that was used to build the Olympic stadium and were lovingly hand-crafted for two lucky children. They then sprung to life thanks to a magical rainbow and are now blogging up a storm.

From Roger Mosey’s BBC blog:

Now the mascots feel the need to be in London for 2012 – and the creative teams are working on the journey they’ll make to be there in time for the Games. As I’ve said before, the mascots are entirely owned by the London Organizing Committee (Locog). But we’ve been aware for some time of what was being planned and – if creatures made from steel can be said to evolve – we’ve followed their evolution. So do I have a view on them? Well, in this case it’s irrelevant what I think. The judges are the people of Britain and beyond.

Matt Dunham/AP Photo

Miga, Quatchi, and Sumi made it across the province, were the highlight of the Olympics for some, and wound up in some pretty interesting places around town. In fact 42% of my readers said the mascots were their favourite symbols of the Vancouver 2010 Games.

I’m curious to see how the one-eyed Wenlock and Mandeville will be accepted but for now, I can follow both on their official Twitter accounts (@iammandeville @iamwenlock) to see what they get into leading up to 2012.

Sex and the City is returning to the big screen and even here on the West Coast gals and guys alike are getting ready for the glamorous sequel.

To help build the excitement for this film, BCLC is launching a series of Sex and the City themed scratch and win tickets, available in lotto stores now.

The film will be in theatres May 27th and there are some exciting events happening around Vancouver (which I’ll profile in another giveaway post next week). However, to get everyone warmed up BCLC has offered my readers not one but two amazing gift baskets filled with…

… A copy of the first Sex and the City Movie on DVD
… Ten scratch and win Sex and the City tickets
… Goodies from the SJP NYC fragrance line
… Four movie passes so you can catch the new film at Cineplex
… A special charm from Tiffany’s

The total value of the prize is $400 (each basket).

Here’s how to enter to win one of two gift baskets:

I’ll draw one winner tomorrow morning at 9:00am and arrange delivery of the gift basket by Friday, May 21st. The other will be drawn May 31st. Please note, you must be 19 years or older to enter since this is a BCLC contest.

Update May 20th The first gift basket winner is Jessica Adamson, congratulations! I will also be sending 5 x $3 Sex and the City scratch & win tickets to Sue, Donna, @Leftcoastmama, @andi_fisher, @pcumming. All entries will still be counted toward the second drawing (except for Jessica’s, since she’s already won big!)

Over the next week or so (and on Friday afternoon) I’ll be doing random draws from the entries and will send out 5 x $3 scratch & win tickets to those winners. Their names will be kept on the entry list for the big basket prize as well. Thanks for making this contest a success!

Update May 21st I did a draw for some scratch & win tickets so I’ll be sending 5 of them out to Sarah@EmergingMummy, Mama in the City, and @VancityKavita.

Update May 31st A few more scratch & win ticket winners: Del, Jenn, Allison, and Catherine.

Update May 31st I just drew the winner of the second gift basket and it’s Leslie R. Congratulations!

Update June 6th I still have a pile of scratch & win tickets so here are 5 more winners of 5 tickets each: Susan Sandulak, Venessa, Iain, Cassie Gill, and @thetinyfig.

Fine print: Must be 19 years or older to enter since this is a BCLC prize pack. Also, in order to claim any prizes on the scratch & win tickets you must be a resident of BC.

Tinhorn Creek Vineyards presents Wine Tasting with a Social Twist May 26th at the CBC Audience Lounge.

The event will consist of a staggered wine tasting — think timed speed-dating but with wines. Each participant will have five minutes at each tasting station to swirl, sip, and sample. When the bell sounds, they move along.

The catch is that the labels will be covered, only to be revealed at the end of the circuit by winemaker Sandra Oldfield. She will also go through the nuances of each varietal once everyone has completed their tastings. If you play along and make some correct guesses while you go through the blind tastings, you could also win some prizes, courtesy of Tinhorn Creek.

Canapés will be provided and everyone will leave with a souvenir Riedel wine glass. Tickets are available online for $20 each and I have two pairs to give away.

Here’s how to enter to win a pair of tickets for the wine tasting:

The event takes place from 6:00pm to 9:00pm at the CBC Audience Lounge (CBC Broadcast Centre 700 Hamilton Street).

Update I have just drawn Marilou as the winner, as well as Mariska. Congratulations and have fun at the tasting!

Fine print: Ticket value is $20 so each prize is worth $40. Two winners (who may each bring a guest) will be draw Thursday May 20th at 9:00am.