Culture
GNWT open to land transfer of Akaitcho Hall site for new art gallery
The MOU sets out the work that must be completed by Friends of the Northwest Territories Art Gallery before any land transfer can be made
A Memorandum of Understanding has been signed between the GNWT and the Friends of the Northwest Territories Art Gallery, supporting the development of a new, non-commercial art gallery to be built within Yellowknife.
The primary accomplishment of this MoU is the selection of the former Akaitcho Hall site as the location for this new Gallery. Located near Sir John Franklin High School, the GNWT currently holds a Government Land Reserve on the site, to be used by Yellowknife Education District No. 1, stated a release.
YK1 is in support of the new art gallery, which would provide dedicated space to exhibit art, support NWT artists in building their careers, host community events and public programming, and preserve the territory’s artistic and cultural heritage. Also being considered for the Gallery is a resource library, permanent art collection, and a space for learning about the history of residential schools.
Toby Kruger, board chair with the Friends of the Northwest Territories Art Gallery, stated: “The future art gallery will be a place where artists and creators thrive, where art and creativity are valued as an integral part of everyday life, where community members feel welcomed and inspired, and where Northern art, culture, and ideas can be recognized, studied, shared, and celebrated. This MoU is an exciting next step towards this vision and we look forward to working with the Government of the Northwest Territories to realize it.”
The MoU sets out the work that must be completed before any land transfer can be made. This includes completing required consultation, completing environmental assessments of the site, addressing any environmental or other liabilities, and completing any required surveying, rezoning, subdivision and land title work. Environmental Site assessments and all costs associated with preparing the land for transfer would be the responsibility of the NWT Art Centre Initiative.
As part of this work, the GNWT and the NWT Art Centre Initiative have engaged with the Tłı̨chǫ Government, the North Slave Métis Alliance and the Yellowknives Dene First Nation regarding the proposed transfer of the site.
