Vancouver has been ‘had’

Vancouver Art Gallery never intended to meet city’s deadline
Organization has yet to raise the $150 million in government funding for its new home
By Jeff Lee, Vancouver Sun March 26, 2015
Vancouver Art Gallery never intended to meet city’s deadline
PHOTO Kathleen Bartels, director of the Vancouver Art Gallery, says the funding milestones in the city staff report ‘were not reasonable.’ Photograph by: Steve Bosch Kim Stallknecht , Vancouver Sun

With just a month to go before a city deadline to raise $150 million in government funding for a new home, the Vancouver Art Gallery acknowledged it has never formally applied for the funding and never intended to meet the deadline.
The city’s demands, established two years ago, were a prerequisite to the VAG gaining access to most of a valuable downtown block of land it wants for a $350-million gallery.
Instead, the VAG pushed ahead by hiring one of the world’s leading architecture firms, Swiss-based Herzog & de Meuron, to create a conceptual design for a new gallery in advance of a fundraising campaign. That concept will be unveiled in late May. In an effort to create more buzz, the gallery is unveiling an exhibit Thursday touting the architectural excellence of the firm.
But the project faces an almost-insurmountable challenge as both the federal and provincial governments have repeatedly said they will not contribute any more money. The federal government reiterated that position as recently as Wednesday, with Industry Minister James Moore saying the VAG isn’t listening.
[ MORE… ]
Read more: http://www.vancouversun.com/entertainment/Vancouver+Gallery+never+intended+meet+city+deadline/10920206/story.html

and
Vancouver Art Gallery shortlists five architecture firms for new building, all international January 9th, 2014 · 88 Comments
francesbula.com/uncategorized/vancouver-art-gallery-shortlists-five-architecture-firms-for-new-building-all-international/

and
After seven long years, the Vancouver Art Gallery gets the site it wanted for a new building PLUS support from the mayor. But … a few strings attached
April 18th, 2013 · 157 Comments
francesbula.com/uncategorized/after-seven-long-years-the-vancouver-art-gallery-gets-the-site-it-wanted-for-a-new-building-plus-support-from-the-mayor-but-a-few-strings-attached/

and
Do you want to know what’s going to happen with the Vancouver Art Gallery’s pitch to move to a new site? Read this for some clues
March 14th, 2013 · 115 Comments
francesbula.com/uncategorized/do-you-want-to-know-whats-going-to-happen-with-the-vancouver-art-gallerys-pitch-to-move-to-a-new-site-read-this-for-some-clues/

and
While council prepares to give Vancouver Art Gallery a shot at empty block, potshots exchange
February 1st, 2011 · 56 Comments
francesbula.com/uncategorized/while-council-prepares-to-give-vancouver-art-gallery-a-shot-at-empty-block-potshots-exchange/

and
Art gallery “pleased and encouraged” about city decision to reserve two-thirds of block for new building
January 13th, 2011 · 12 Comments
francesbula.com/uncategorized/art-gallery-pleased-and-encouraged-about-city-decision-to-reserve-two-thirds-of-block-for-new-building/

and
Art gallery staff question whether finances robust enough for new building
August 19th, 2010 · 12 Comments
francesbula.com/uncategorized/art-gallery-staff-question-whether-finances-robust-enough-for-new-building/

When is an intrepid Vancouver reporter going to ask and report on why Michael Audain decided to locate and finance an impressive brand new building and gallery for his substantial and important collection to Whistler, right at the same time the VAG was planning their new gallery? What happened between the VAG, the City and this highly important art collector?

I could not agree with him more. Unfortunately for the taxpayers, using the existing site wouldn’t stroke enough egos on the art gallery board.

Recently….

Vancouver Art Gallery faces near-impossible task of raising money for a new facility By Jeff Lee, Vancouver Sun
Read more: http://www.vancouversun.com/entertainment/Vancouver+Gallery+faces+near+impossible+task+raising+money+facility/10982552/story.html#ixzz3XjpxqB00

…“There are a lot of hurdles to be aware of in using that strategy. Announcing a budget too early, especially (with) a big-name, well known architect, is very dangerous because likely that number is going to go up.”

Woronkowicz was part of a group at the University of Chicago’s cultural policy centre that did an exhaustive study of cultural building projects in the U.S., including museums, art galleries, performing arts centres and theatres. The study, “Set In Stone: Building America’s New Generation of Arts Facilities,” looked at 700 building projects built between 1994 and 2008 with budgets of between $4 million and $355 million.
One of the striking findings: 80 per cent of the projects ran over budget by an average of 62 per cent, with some as much as 200 per cent over budget. Often, the overruns resulted from failing to realistically assess the project demands and needs. The study also said architects can often turn these public projects into their own personal statements, rather than designing what the clients really need.
Timing also was miscalculated: It took an average of nine years for a project to be completed, from the initial discussions by board members to opening day. When public funds were involved, those timelines in some cases doubled.
Based on what they’ve seen and read of the Vancouver project, both Ellis and Woronkowicz say it is unlikely the VAG can remain on budget. They also questioned whether Vancouver has the depth of philanthropy necessary to sustain such a major project.

“If the philanthropy is not as developed in Vancouver as it is in New York or L.A. or wherever, then it becomes critically important that you’ve got your public support lined up in terms of these major lead gifts,” said Ellis. “The fact that the federal government still hasn’t matched or come on board with what it is going to do, that would certainly keep me up at night if I were the director.”

VAG’s broken promises anger city hall
by Allen Garr / Vancouver Courier
April 23, 2015 02:58 PM
– See more at: http://www.vancourier.com/opinion/vag-s-broken-promises-anger-city-hall-1.1847692

It is a train wreck waiting to happen, the Titanic heading for that iceberg. Pick your metaphor to describe the current state of plans to build a new Vancouver Art Gallery. With the deadline in the agreement with the city just a few days away, the probability of the VAG project succeeding is slim to none.

Two years ago, the gallery and its director, Kathleen Bartels, cut the deal with city council. The city would give the VAG a prime location, two of the three acres of the property known as Larwill Park adjacent to the Queen Elizabeth Theatre.

….Last month in a story about the impending deadline by the Vancouver Sun’s Jeff Lee, Bartels said that the VAG never intended to meet that deadline. Her blunt declaration hit city hall with all the force of a sucker punch.
That’s chutzpah: squeeze everything you want out of a deal, then say that you never intended to keep your end of the bargain.
And then ask for more time.

It wasn’t that the VAG had simply fallen a bit short in its efforts to raise the $150 million; it hadn’t even raised a nickel. City hall politicos weren’t simply disappointed, they were pissed off.

….Now both Meggs and Coun. Raymond Louie say — on the record — what they are hearing is “disturbing.”
Incidentally, VAG chair Bruce Wright is apparently telling city hall privately that Bartels was misquoted. She didn’t say that at all.

My view: That is not to be believed or the VAG would have made the point publicly.

But as Meggs says, the inability to find funding is only part of the VAG’s failure to meet its promise to council. In a March 10 letter from the mayor’s office to Wright and Bartels, Gregor Robertson lists a series of commitments the VAG made to get the deal. They were all still outstanding.

That included agreement “to acknowledge and work with the city’s land use policies”; provide development plans that fit within the two acres; change the VAG board structure to make a non-voting place for the mayor or his delegate, given the city’s multi-million dollar land gift and the fact the city is the biggest funder of the VAG operations to a level unheard of in any other municipality in Canada. The VAG also has to agree that the art collection is in fact the property of the City of Vancouver and always has been. And the VAG has to provide a plan for public consultation as this project goes ahead….

So as Meggs says, money aside, it is most amazing that almost two years into this deal and with a looming deadline, that none of this has been done and would require a letter from Robertson to lay that out.

To make matters worse, longtime VAG board member Michael Audain — frustrated with the slow process — quit the board last summer and, …..