Art Gallery of Peterborough visits up 49%

New programs boost attendance to 15,000 visitors last year, compared to 10,000 in 2016

The Art Gallery of Peterborough had 49 per cent more visitors in 2017 compared to 2016, according to the president of the gallery’s board of directors.

Rob Kingston gave a presentation to city councillors Monday night to update them on the first year of its five-year operating plan for the Crescent St. gallery.

The gallery set a goal of increasing attendance by 10 per cent in 2017, he said, but did far better than that: the gallery saw 15,000 visitors in 2017, compared to 10,000 in 2016.

Kingston said the gallery has enhanced youth programs, increased social media presence and participated in Canada Day celebrations on July 1 to attract more people.

Gallery attendance so far in 2018 has increased a further 23 per cent, Kingston said.

“We’re here – and we’re for real,” Kingston said, adding that the AGP is nationally recognized and has been covered lately in Canadian Art magazine.

In early 2017, the AGP adopted the five-year plan; the idea is to set the stage for a new building within a decade.

The gallery on Crescent St. was deemed too small for its purposes when it was reviewed by a Toronto architectural firm in 2014.

The collection holds more than 1,700 artworks. But because the space is so tight, only 1 per cent of the collection can be shown at any given time.

Kingston reminded councillors the gallery’s goal is still to get a new building.

“But we don’t really want to move,” he said. “If there’s a way to expand on that existing footprint, that would be ideal.”

Coun. Dean Pappas said the service the gallery offers is “second to none.”

“It really is a gem down there – I’m happy it’s there,” he said. “The attendance, I can tell you, has grown and grown steadily over the years.”