We regret to convey that the Art Gallery of Sudbury | Galerie d’art de Sudbury is currently closed.
On Friday, October 6, 2023, Laurentian University shared a letter of recommendation from their engineering consultants recommending limiting access to the Bell Mansion building which houses the Art Gallery of Sudbury | Galerie d’art de Sudbury.
The engineering firm was hired by Laurentian University to inspect the safety of the Bell Mansion building, which is owned by Laurentian.
The letter stated it was necessary to limit access to specific areas of the building, out of an abundance of caution due to observed conditions.
The Gallery immediately complied with the letter of recommendation and has been closed since that time. Laurentian University has erected barriers around the specific areas and has hired experts to further investigate the state of the building.
The Gallery would like to convey that Collections, Exhibitions, Education, and Gift Shop spaces and contents remain safe and secure. Our internal access is pending further information-gathering by Laurentian University into the connection of the interior staircase to the south-facing exterior wall of the building. This staircase provides staff and public access to washrooms upstairs and downstairs. We expect to hear more in the coming week.
The Art Gallery of Sudbury team is looking at possible short-term, medium-term, and long-term impacts, pending more definitive results in the coming days.
We will update as soon as possible regarding any changes to Gallery operations and programs, including weeknight and weekend art education programs.
The Gallery greatly appreciates all expressions of concern and kind and generous offers of assistance that have been received since we posted the notice on October 12. We are working collaboratively in the spirit of friendship with community partners, artists, and Gallery members, visitors and friends with the goal of furthering community access.
Inquiries on Gallery operations and programs: [email protected]
Media inquiries on building status are referred to Laurentian University: [email protected]
Further updates will be provided here when available.
