SA国际影视传媒

As a soprano from China, Jessica Yan Macintosh holds a deep passion for the arts. Her husband, George Macintosh鈥攚ho was a judge on the Supreme Court of British Columbia鈥攕ays it was her idea to donate $1 million to the earlier this year.

鈥淚t was to support, in a small way, the new gallery, but our primary focus was to help disadvantaged and underserved kids鈥攖o enable them to perhaps be better able to connect with art,鈥� he explains.

About a decade ago, the City of Vancouver donated a prime plot of land to the gallery through an in-kind lease. The nonprofit started fundraising to develop a bigger home for itself, and different levels of government, as well as philanthropists and organizations, stepped forward to support the $400-million project. According to the VAG, over $190 million came from private donations, with developer, art collector and philanthropist Michael Audain donating $100 million in 2022.

Within the Macintosh household, Jessica studied music at the Beijing Central Conservatory of Music. She joined the VAG board of trustees in 2019. One day, she came to the museum for a meeting and saw some school groups touring the exhibitions on display. Sirish Rao, the gallery鈥檚 senior director of public engagement and learning, remembers the moment well.

鈥淲hen you see a school group going through, you can鈥檛 fail to notice it,鈥� he says. 鈥淭here鈥檚 this energy that鈥檚 going through鈥攖hey鈥檙e bubbling, you can see their eyes opening, their perspectives changing. You can see it in their faces; it鈥檚 so tangible. And Jessica said, 鈥業 would really like to see my donation go towards creating access for young people.鈥欌��

Prior to his role at the VAG, Rao ran the Indian Summer Festival in Vancouver for 12 years. In his eyes, educational programming is an 鈥渦nheard of, under-sung part of what the VAG does,鈥� but it鈥檚 the most regular part of it, too. Every day, he explains, about four school groups will make their rounds through the gallery, which works with 130 different schools in B.C. At the end of each in-person tour, students can create their own art in the gallery鈥檚 designated studio鈥攁 sculpture, for example, if that鈥檚 the exhibition on show.

It also hosts long-distance learning opportunities through programs like Connected North. 鈥淚f we鈥檙e contacted by a school in another region, we always work with them to see what we can do to facilitate learning opportunities,鈥� says VAG CEO and executive director Anthony Kiendl.

He鈥檚 excited about the potential of building out the gallery to be more of a learning resource. 鈥淗ere we have one room that鈥檚 used as a classroom. In the new building, we鈥檒l have five dedicated spaces,鈥� Kiendl notes. Once built, the new museum will support artist residency programs, offer multipurpose spaces, increase the exhibition space to 80,000 square feet and include a garden with outdoor artworks on display. It will also have a theatre that can be used for film production, cinema programs, poetry readings and literature and performance events.

鈥淒onations like this help us build our resilience and our capacity for programs, and they help us keep operations going,鈥� Kiendl says.

As firm believers in the idea that good art can be transformative, the Macintosh family sees the VAG as an expert in the field of art education. Their donation will help more under-resourced kids be able to access and learn from art, whether that鈥檚 through subsidized visits, scholarships or new programs.

鈥淲hen we travel, we always find galleries to go to,鈥� says George. 鈥淵ou see the kids traipsing through, and you see them with the right teachers or the right lecturers, and you can see their eyes light up. I don鈥檛 think you can have too much of that.鈥�

The Art of Giving

Last year, 16-year-old Henry Wang sold his own art and donated proceeds to the Vancouver Art Gallery.

Born in China in 2007, Henry Wang started drawing at the age of five and moved to Vancouver at the age of 11.

After participating in the VAG Teen Art Group program (which, through a partnership with Emily Carr University, helps 15- to 18-year-old students explore art-making and culture), Wang decided to hold a solo exhibition in 2023.

He sold 10 of the 65 pieces displayed. 鈥淚t boosted my confidence by a mile after seeing that people actually wanted to purchase my work,鈥� he says.

Wang鈥檚 decision to donate $12,000 to VAG鈥檚 Institute of Asian Arts鈥攚hich celebrates historical and contemporary Asian art through exhibitions, programs and events鈥攃omes from the heart.

鈥淚 wanted to represent the prospering young talents of Vancouver and bring more spotlight to up-and-coming artists,鈥� he explains. 鈥淚 also wanted to represent the Asian community. I believe that more and more young Asian talents are going to take the steering wheel in the Vancouver art scene in the next couple of years.鈥�