Construction set to begin this summer on disability arts hub

After seven years of work to secure a suitable permanent home in Calgary for Canada's largest organization for artists with disabilities, plans for a new facility for the group were unveiled on Tuesday.

The National accessArts Centre (NaAC) has been in need of a new building since the roof of its facility at the Fairview Arena collapsed due to heavy snow in 2018.

The centre announced on Tuesday it's receiving more than $8.2 million in federal funding to assist with constructing the Multidisciplinary Disability and Community Arts Hub, which will provide a space for the group's use.

The $14-million facility will be constructed adjacent to the former Scouts Canada hall in Calgary's northwest neighbourhood of West Hillhurst. The hall is also being transformed into a purpose-designed learning centre for training and producing work by artists with disabilities. Side by side, the facilities will anchor an accessible arts campus in Calgary that will be home to the NaAC, said the group's president and CEO Jung-Suk Ryu.

"Today, we are positioning Calgary as the national capital of our disability arts movement," Ryu said on Tuesday.

"The roof collapsed seven years ago, and it's been nothing but non-stop hurdles since that time. To now see some light coming out at the end of this tunnel, and just to imagine the faces of our artists when they realize what kind of home we're going to be building for them just gives me goosebumps."

The federal government's funding for the centre, which is designed to be a net-zero carbon facility, is being delivered through the Green and Inclusive Community Buildings program.

The new hub will feature a performance venue, arts studio, gallery space for contemporary works completed by artists with disabilities, a cafe, and indoor and outdoor gathering spaces. Ryu added that the hub will also offer after-school community arts spaces that can be used for pop-up exhibitions and concerts, and that it can be repurposed to host small- to medium-sized receptions, weddings and other community events.

First launching 50 years ago, NaAC supports more than 350 artists with disabilities in Calgary and southern Alberta. The organization recently opened a community arts hub in Toronto, as well.

Calgary Skyview MP George Chahal said the federal government's funding was put in place to allow the participating artists to flourish.

"A project like this is so critical for a city and for our members who have disabilities, who need a place to find their passions and dreams through art," Chahal said on Tuesday.

A new venue next to the former Scouts Canada building was first announced as a possibility by the NaAC in 2021.

The NaAC entered into a deal with the City of Calgary in 2021 to move into the former Scouts Canada building, at the West Hillhurst Civic Building. But the group has faced challenges with the location, such as the front steps and other elements of the building not being accessible.

The group has also found itself at an impasse recently with the city over disagreements on how to fund the West Hillhurst building's transformation. On Tuesday, Ryu said the NaAC is launching a capital campaign that will help finance the group's new home.