An incomplete picture

By Richard Rolke Apr 18 2007 http://www.vernonmorningstar.com/

Last week’s presentation to city council was another reminder that the Vernon Public Art Gallery has been left in the cultural wilderness. On the ground floor of the less-than-attractive parkade building, the gallery is woefully lacking sufficient space to host provincial and national exhibitions — a significant loss in a community as culturally active as Greater Vernon. I haven’t been in the backrooms for many years but I am sure storage hasn’t improved any. I will always remember coming across works by famed potter Axel Ebring sitting precariously on top of a shelf, just waiting to be knocked off. And there’s been a lack of atmospheric storage to ensure the integrity of items. Despite all of this — including moving locations three times in 17 years — gallery staff and volunteers have provided a service we should all be proud of. For me, one of the highlights has been seeing my daughter’s painting hanging on the walls there.

That’s why I fully support providing the gallery with custom-built space in a proposed building for the library and city hall offices. It would address the long-term needs of the gallery and its role as a leading cultural organization. The location would also link it with like-minded functions such as the library and museum. Through an expanded gallery, local residents could tap into the talents of artists from both here and abroad. And there is an economic benefit to the arts. Such facilities are among the amenities new residents and investors consider when selecting a community to move to. Culture is also popular with the Baby Boomers as they plan holiday get-aways. If I have one complaint, though, with the Vernon Art Gallery’s presentation last week, it is the fact they were barking up the wrong tree.

Obviously it is critical to have Vernon council’s support, but that isn’t enough. In the world of multi-jurisdictions, nothing is going to happen with a new art gallery unless the District of Coldstream and Areas B and C come on board as full partners. The art gallery — like the museum — isn’t just Vernon’s but also serves Coldstream and the two rural areas. Currently, the four jurisdictions provide financial assistance through the Greater Vernon Services Committee. But an expanded gallery will require more operational dollars and that means GVSC’s annual contribution will have to increase. I put all of the onus on Coldstream and Areas B and C because the city has shown a commitment to the art gallery through the whole planning process for a cultural complex and now this new library/office building. Unlike the city, though, Coldstream and Areas B and C have been completely wishy-washy as to whether they will fund either construction of a new structure or at least help rent additional space for a gallery.

As a Coldstream resident, I have long maintained that the City of Vernon should shelve any plans for the gallery and museum until the other three jurisdictions are onboard. It’s not fair to Vernon taxpayers to subsidize their counterparts for facilities that will benefit everyone. With the politicians ignoring the gallery for years, time is of the essence. The future of the gallery, and the museum for that matter, must be resolved once and for all. But until Coldstream and Areas B and C start acting like partners, there will be an incomplete picture.