Thunder Bay Art Gallery gets over $1M in donations for waterfront move

The Thunder Bay Art Gallery is getting closer to makingthe dreamof a waterfront home a reality.

The art gallery, which has been pursuing a move from their current building on the Confederation College to a prime spot on the city's waterfront for about a decade, on Friday announced more than $1 million in donations.

The fundraising campaign received its largest individual donation from local ceramic artist and educator Jake Black, who pledged $800,000 over four years. He presented the first $200,000 payment on Friday.

"I was always surrounded by art experiences and I saw an opportunity that they were having a local campaign and wanted to have support from people to donate," Black said.

"That's what I did, feeling I could be as much a supporter as anybody."

The largest exhibition space in the new art facility will be called the Jacob Black Gallery.

In addition to Black's donation, the art gallery also received $250,000 from the John Andrews Foundation, which will be given a naming opportunity for another exhibition space. Corporate donations of $50,000 each from Copperfin Credit Union and Intercity Industrial Supply, which will get naming rights for the new gallery's storage vault and gift shop.

The campaign has secured 90 per cent of the estimated $33 million project cost, which includes nearly $22 million from the provincial and federal governments as well as $5.7 million from the city.

The art gallery's AWE Community has brought in $2.4 million.

Thunder Bay Art Gallery executive director Sharon Godwin said the donations have elevated their fundraising campaign.

"There are many, many people that we know that are still very interested in supporting the project," Godwin said. "We hear it all the time. We feel we're going to get there but to have this level of support from these individuals, I think is inspiring to others and will inspire others to give to the project."

Every donation counts, she added.

"Everyone gives to their capacity, which is really amazing. It means everyone can give and all the gifts we're getting will be acknowledged big time in the new gallery on our donor walls, whether it's $1 or $800,000," Godwin said.

Construction of the 37,500 square foot building is anticipated to begin in 2020.