Government of Canada supports Beaverbrook Art Gallery’s Harrison McCain Pavilion

From: Canadian Heritage

News release

FREDERICTON, November 2, 2022

The Minister of Canadian Heritage, Pablo Rodriguez, and the Minister of Official Languages and Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, the Honourable Ginette Petitpas Taylor, are pleased to announce more than $2.5 million in funding for the Beaverbrook Art Gallery’s new Harrison McCain Pavilion in Fredericton.

The Government of Canada is continuing its commitment to invest in projects that contribute to the vitality of our communities, support the local economy, and promote the development of the tourism industry.

Named in honour of the late Harrison McCain, co-founder of the multinational McCain Foods, the Beaverbrook Art Gallery’s new pavilion is a multipurpose community space intended to host a variety of activities.

For the gallery’s infrastructure projects, the Department of Canadian Heritage has provided $1.5 million in funding through the Canada Cultural Spaces Fund, including $1 million for the new pavilion and $500,000 for improvement projects within the gallery itself.

To support marketing and events in connection with the opening of the new pavilion, the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency has provided non-repayable funding of $1 million through the Innovative Communities Fund (ICF), as well as $48,557 in non-repayable funding under the Rediscover Main Streets initiative.

The official opening of the Harrison McCain Pavilion was held on September 10 at an event open to the public.

Quotes

“Cultural organizations form a key part of the fabric of our country. Culture brings us together and unites us. The Beaverbrook Art Gallery’s Harrison McCain Pavilion project perfectly embodies the vision behind the Canada Cultural Spaces Fund. Today, I commend the determination and commitment of everyone who took part in developing and implementing this project, and I invite the public to come out and discover everything this gallery has to offer.”

— The Honourable Pablo Rodriguez, Minister of Canadian Heritage

“We are proud to invest in the outreach of this new pavilion, which will enable visitors to enjoy the expanded gallery and programming space. Cultural spaces such as the Harrison McCain Pavilion offer enriching and exciting activities that reflect all that Atlantic Canada has to offer.”

—The Honourable Ginette Petitpas Taylor, Minister of Official Languages and Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency

“Cultural and tourism spaces are at the heart of our communities. Thanks to projects like the new Harrison McCain Pavilion, the Government of Canada is making a positive contribution to the development of the arts and culture sector, the expansion of the tourism sector, and the economic future of the region and our country.”

—The Honourable Randy Boissonnault, Minister of Tourism and Associate Minister of Finance

“The Beaverbrook Art Gallery is a pillar of Fredericton’s cultural and social life. I am delighted to see the gallery’s evolution with the opening of this new pavilion, a welcoming space that will bring our community together. I commend the efforts of those who believed in and accomplished this project.”

—Jenica Atwin, Member of Parliament for Fredericton

“The gallery’s mandate is to enrich life through art. With our extensive collection, we truly have something for everyone. We are confident that this expansion will develop and grow the arts and culture sector at the Beaverbrook Art Gallery and beyond. We are thrilled that, through funding from the Government of Canada, the Harrison McCain Pavilion will grow to offer even more to those who visit our space.”

—Thomas Smart, Director/CEO, Beaverbrook Art Gallery

Quick facts

  • Canadian Heritage’s Canada Cultural Spaces Fund supports the improvement of physical conditions for arts, heritage, culture and creative innovation. The Fund supports renovation and construction projects, the acquisition of specialized equipment and feasibility studies related to cultural spaces.

  • The Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency’s Innovative Communities Fund (ICF) supports projects that build the economies of Atlantic Canada communities.

  • The Rediscover Main Streets initiative helps non-profit organizations team up to generate new ideas that inspire locals and tourists alike to rediscover all that their main streets, downtowns and neighbourhoods have to offer, while driving more support for local businesses.

  • Construction of the Harrison McCain Pavilion started in 2019. A particular goal of this major project was to create a fully accessible, 10,000-square-foot expansion that would dramatically change the streetscape of Queen Street, honouring the legacy and generosity of Harrison McCain.

  • The Beaverbrook Art Gallery and a significant art collection were given to the people of New Brunswick by Lord Beaverbrook, Sir Max Aitken, on September 16, 1959. In 1994, the Beaverbrook was officially designated the provincial art gallery of New Brunswick.

  • The Beaverbrook Art Gallery brings art and community together in a dynamic cultural environment governed by the highest standards in exhibitions, programming and education.

  • As the provincial art gallery of New Brunswick, the Beaverbrook Art Gallery is committed to maintaining artistic excellence in the care, research and development of the gallery’s collections; presenting engaging and stimulating exhibitions and programs to encourage greater appreciation of the visual arts; and embracing and advancing the province’s two official-language communities, as well as the Indigenous communities in New Brunswick.

Associated links

Contacts

For more information (media only), please contact:

Media Relations
Canadian Heritage
819-994-9101
1-866-569-6155
pch.media-media.pch@canada.ca

Marianne Blondin
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Official Languages and Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency
marianne.blondin@acoa-apeca.gc.ca

Ann Kenney
Senior Communications Officer
Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency
ann.kenney@acoa-apeca.gc.ca

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