Calgary family donates $75 million philanthropic gift to help transform Arts Commons into the Werklund Centre
CTV
Arts Commons says a local benefactor has stepped up to help pay for a major upgrade, which will revolutionize the facility.
Arts Commons says a local benefactor has stepped up to help pay for a major upgrade, which will revolutionize the facility.
David Werklund and family has donated the largest philanthropic gift to the performing arts in Canada , raising secured funding for the transformation of the Arts Commons campus to more than three quarters of its $660M goal.
The current Arts Commons complex, located in the 200 block of Eighth Avenue S.E., will be upgraded and a new building will be constructed nearby along Seventh Avenue S.E., next to Teatro, as part of the expansion.
The Calgary Municipal Land Corporation and the provincial government have already stepped up with funding commitments for the project.
"(It) will further propel Arts Commons Transformation (ACT) and our city towards its future as one of the most ambitious cultural hubs in the country," Arts Commons said in a news release.
The province recently announced $103 million for the expansion, $315.5 million from The City of Calgary and Calgary Municipal Land Corporation’s Community Revitalization levy.
Werklund says he values accessible education and community care and his donation will go towards construction costs creatingthe Dave Werklund Education Wing, in addition to helping establish four funds to support the sustainability of the following institutional priorities: education, accessibility, operations, and an ongoing endowment to rename Arts Commons as Werklund Centre in perpetuity, starting in the 2025-26 season.
