An exciting development percolating in West Vancouver:
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THE IDEA
An extraordinary new facility for West Vancouver, the Centre for Art, Architecture + Design (CAAD) will replace the outdated spaces of the existing West Vancouver Museum, and expand upon its success in featuring important innovators, artists, and creators whose ideas have shaped our community, region and country in transformative ways.
THE INSPIRATION
A long and rich history of innovation in art, architecture, and design exists on the West Coast. CAAD will collect and highlight the contributions of local artists in these areas, creating a strong legacy for the future, and providing a first-class venue to host travelling exhibitions of outstanding examples of creativity by Canadian and international artists..
Porter Residence, West Vancouver, 1955, John C. Porter Architect, 1948-1949
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Russell Hollingsworth is working on an initial design that will form a key part of the fundraising package.
Still in the early stages, there is a business plan that shows the operation can be sustainable financially, and the District of West Vancouver has committed a flagship site on the waterfront next to John Lawson Park. The next step will be a private fundraising effort aimed at securing the anchor donations to construct the facility.
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Carmichael Residence, West Vancouver, 2013, Ron Thom (Thompson Berwick & Pratt) Architect, 1957
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The overall mandate will encompass all art and design relative to West Vancouver – not just West Coast Modern architecture.
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B. C. Binning, Untitled (sketch for Night Regatta) c. 1953-5
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More details at www.caad.ca.
Love this proposal! The Vancouver and especially West Vancouver was a hotspot for contemporary art and architecture and it would be wonderful to have a place for design-centric west coasters to gather and celebrate our region’s legacy (and future). With the proposed Presentation House gallery at the foot of Lonsdale in the City of North Vancouver, the centre of cultural gravity in the region is shifting north!
Fantastic idea. West Vancouver needs and deserves spaces to collect, celebrate, and educate residents and visitors alike about the amazing contributions of local artists, innovators, and designers to the wider world. Can’t wait to see this happen!
Oh, the irony! West Van has produced or adopted many leading urbanists and architects who have had a very large, even outsized, influence on “Vancouverism” across the pond and around the world, but there seems to be very little to show of such creativity in their own home town, other than some very interesting houses perched on steep slopes. The anti-change and no-growth factions in that noble burg seems to continually trump the introduction of new city-building ideas, beyond … laneway houses.