It’s been a busy time for the Burnaby Arts Council. The group representing local artists is working hard on exhibits and events throughout the summer.
But the group’s bid to have the city build a new Burnaby art gallery appears to be in a bit of a holding pattern.
The arts council has been waiting for several months on a report from the city in response to its request for a feasibility and desirability study for a new gallery.
Arts council members met with city planners in late May to discuss the progress, but they didn’t get the news they wanted. The city hadn’t started working on the report.
Dave Handelman, a member of the arts council, said the group was disappointed to get the news.
“Obviously we can’t do anything until the report is issued,” he told the NOW.
While Handelman understands city planners have a lot of work to do, he said the group wants to keep the issue in front of the public.
He also believes the interest in a new gallery hasn’t waned in the months since the arts council visited city council.
The arts council has been working on the idea for about a year now, holding a successful forum last fall that drew a full house.
In February, the group made a formal pitch to city council but received a lukewarm response.
Instead of getting full support, the artists got a recommendation that staff look at some of the issues brought up by the arts council and a report on whether the city should embark on a full study.
The NOW reached out to the city’s director of planning and development, Lou Pelletier, about a timeline for the report, but the calls were not returned prior to press deadline.
In its request in February, the arts council said it supports the location in the Metrotown area at the Burnaby Civic Square near the Art Walk, as it provides critical elements that are missing in the Deer Lake Park area.
Handelman said the arts council believes locating the facility in a densely populated and central location such as Metrotown would help boost tourism and business in Burnaby for many years to come.
