ART

GALLERY

OF

NOVA

SCOTIA

Architecture49 (A49) and Diller Scofidio + Renfro along with Hargreaves Jones bring a deep commitment to redefining the relationship between institutions and the public realm in cities around the world. In conceiving art museums, our goal is always to rethink their institutional nature in order to break down traditional barriers between cultural silos, between diverse audiences, and between architecture and its broader urban context. For the AGNS, we have envisioned a ‘soft icon’ with a bold presence on the waterfront – one that serves as an accessible hub for the entire community and feels materially grounded in place.

The new Art Gallery of Nova Scotia (AGNS) will be an anti-institution: an open and democratic place catalyzing new currents of cultural life at the Halifax waterfront; a radically inclusive hub where creative engagement engenders both a welcoming and comfortable space for all to convene, and a setting in which the most challenging contemporary issues may be confronted through the medium of art.

The Salter block offers an extraordinary opportunity between downtown and the Port of Halifax for creating a new public space around the AGNS mission. A continuous cultural fabric will connect the city to the boardwalk, right through the AGNS foyer—inviting locals and visitors alike without inhibition to pass through, hangout, mix, and encounter art. At the same, the life of the Gallery will spill out freely to the public with food, education, installation, making and music.

For more information, please visit: https://www.artgalleryofnovascotia.ca