FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Fredericton, NB, May 25, 2017 -- If you’ve been wondering about what’s going on behind the Beaverbrook Art Gallery’s new walls, mark your calendar for the big reveal in mid-October.

The Beaverbrook Art Gallery announced today that its eagerly-anticipated expansion will open to the public on the weekend of October 14-15, 2017. The weekend will include a number of public and private events recognizing supporters who have made the project possible, celebrating the new space, and welcoming Gallery members and all members of the public to explore a revitalized Beaverbrook Art Gallery.

Designed by the award-winning firm MacKay-Lyons Sweetapple Architects of Halifax, the expansion will add some 14,000 square feet of interior space over three levels, of which two levels will include public gallery and programming spaces. The window-filled lower level will house amenities and public spaces, including a café, learning centre, and artist-in-residence studio, while the locally-sourced, Dorchester stone clad upper level will feature exhibition spaces and two grand windows overlooking Fredericton’s natural beauty.

Also opening that weekend will be the renovated East Wing, which is being reinvented as the Gallery’s International Wing. These newly-modernized spaces will house some of the Gallery’s international masterworks, as well as a selection of decorative arts objects from the permanent collection. A new lighting system and wall arrangement will spotlight a number of selected Masterworks in the space, and the Lucille Pillow Porcelain Collection will be showcased in a brand-new display.

The Gallery’s Board, staff, and volunteers are already hard at work planning the weekend’s festivities. They are eagerly looking forward to sharing the new spaces, and the artworks within them, with all of New Brunswick and beyond during the weekend.

According to Allison D. McCain, Chair of the Board, “The opening of the Gallery expansion will be the latest milestone in a $30.5 million capital campaign, and the opening festivities will allow us to thank our supporters and welcome our members and visitors. We look forward to opening this destination space in one of the premier public art galleries in Canada.”

A full program for Sunday’s public celebration, and further information about the weekend’s schedule, will be made available on the Gallery’s website over the summer.  Visit www.beaverbrookartgallery.org for more information.

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About the Beaverbrook Art Gallery
The Beaverbrook Art Gallery was founded by Lord Beaverbrook on September 16, 1959. The Gallery is internationally known for its collection of Atlantic Canadian, Canadian, British, and International works of art. The Beaverbrook Art Gallery “enriches life through art”. As the official art gallery of New Brunswick, and one of Canada’s leading art galleries and most important cultural treasures, its mission is to “bring art and community together in a dynamic cultural environment dedicated to the highest standards in acquisitions, exhibitions, programming, education and stewardship.”

The Beaverbrook Art Gallery enriches life through art.
La Galerie d'art Beaverbrook enrichit la vie par l'art.

Media Contact
Jeremy Elder-Jubelin
Manager of Communications
Beaverbrook Art Gallery
703 Queen Street, P.O. Box 605
Fredericton, NB  E3E 5A6
Phone: (506) 458-2039
Email: visitorservices@beaverbrookartgallery.org   
Fax: (506) 458-2028
www.beaverbrookartgallery.org