New Westminster is working to incorporate some changes to Anvil Centre — including the New Media Gallery.
The April 7 city council agenda included a status report about a 10-year review of Anvil Centre. The report also detailed some changes being made to the New Media Gallery exhibition space, including a new media arts residency that’s being planned for spring 2025 in the gallery space.
“It is anticipated that the residency will result in the establishment of a temporary gallery installation that actively incorporates community identity and interests,” said a report to council. “This interim project will allow the city to activate the gallery space through its transition and maximize community participation.”
After taking the helm of the New Media Gallery in 2014, Sarah Joyce and Gordon Duggan curated works by more than 200 artists from dozens of countries around the world. In December 2024, they left their roles as the director/curator team at the gallery.
At that time, the city told the Record the gallery would be on hiatus into 2025 and the city would be taking some time to consider the future opportunities for the gallery, in keeping with the 10-year review of Anvil Centre.
According to the April 7 staff report, the New Media Gallery is a specialized and purpose-built exhibition space designed to meet professional museum and gallery standards.
“A new vision for this dedicated new media exhibition space is being developed,” said the report. “This vision will build on the Anvil 10-year review engagement work completed in 2024 and will be informed by discussions with the local arts community and sectoral research.”
Once some additional work is done on this vision, staff will report back to council with some options for consideration.
Monday’s report included staff recommendations that council receive the report for information and endorse the next steps for the new media exhibition space at Anvil Centre.
Council, however, unanimously approved a motion from Coun. Nadine Nakagawa to receive the report for information and refer it to a future council meeting for consideration.
“I just think there's aspects in the report that I think we want to move forward and then I think there's aspects that we'd like to bring back for larger consideration and conversation,” she said.
Anvil Centre review
Last year, the city undertook work on a 10-year review of Anvil Centre. The downtown civic facility opened in September 2014.
The April 7 report included an update on some of the recommendations endorsed by city council in July 2024. These include:
- Exploring temporary public art opportunities through the atrium and lobby. These opportunities include art banner displays featuring local children’s artists (April/May 2025) and a temporary photo-based art installation as part of the Capture Photography Festival.
- Working to activate the ground floor with public activities and vibrant offerings that will bring people into Anvil Centre. Examples of this have included the New Westminster Public Library’s wrap-up event for the 2024 Summer Reading Club, an Indigenous Art in Cultural Spaces round table, the viewing of the contents of the World’s Largest Tin Soldier’s time capsule, and a Family Day pow wow workshop in February 2025.
- Expanding upon existing partnership with library services to activate the ground-floor space. Staff have done preliminary research to identify the equipment needed to provide a library book vending machine at Anvil Centre.
- Identifying underutilized times and spaces in the facility and develop programs with recreation and library staff to support the delivery of new recreational and leisure opportunities at Anvil Centre. This includes a weekly, three-month parent and baby story and play time that will launch in April.
- Providing affordable and flexible catering alternatives to community users. A staff report noted that flexible guidelines from Fraser Health Authority allow community groups to bring their own food into Anvil Centre if it’s prepared in a Fraser Health-certified facility.
