The Mann Art Gallery in Prince Albert still hopes to put on indoor and outdoor exhibits this summer. (Mann Art Gallery/Facebook)

By Glenn Hicks

Arts To Make Comeback

Art gallery gearing up for re-opening

Jun 24, 2020 | 8:00 AM

It’s a welcome return for the fine arts in Prince Albert. The Mann Art Gallery is delighted they’ve been given the green light by the province to re-open amid the COVID-19 situation.

Galleries are among the public and private indoor facilities – along with movie theatres, live theatres, libraries and museums – that have been closed since March but are able to resume business from June 29.

As the popular arts facility awaits a directive from the city on what their indoor operational protocols need to be before setting an official re-opening date, acting director/curator Lana Wilson said they had already made contingency plans to have an outdoor project anyway.

“We applied for a couple of grants and we‘re already in detailed logistical discussions with the artists,” Wilson told paNOW on learning about the re-open permission from the province Tuesday afternoon. “As soon as I have those details locked down we’ll be thrilled to announce the outdoor art project.”

Wilson added while a couple of the indoor exhibits had to be cancelled, she’s hopeful there will still be offerings this summer.

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“We have been in discussions with one of the small arts groups and we hope to be able to mount those exhibitions from mid-July and August, and our intention is to keep the September schedule the same as it has always been planned,” she said. She also hopes to be able to run some regular summer education programs as well.

In the meantime, she figured it likely wouldn’t take long to have an opening date. The gallery is an independent entity but leases space from the city’s EA Rawlinson Centre, so they need that go ahead before opening their doors.

“We’ll wait on permission from the City of Prince Albert and then we’ll follow whatever protocols and procedures they need us to do,” Wilson explained. “We don’t know if they would want to do a walk-through site inspection, or measure distances or things like that.”

The province has issued guidelines for galleries, libraries and museums here.

Wilson said the The Mann Art Gallery was ordered closed by the city on March 17.

Last week the city said it was reviewing its facilities and would offer an update soon.

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glenn.hicks@jpbg.ca

On Twitter:@princealbertnow