MARKHAM, ON – Markham Council has approved plans to expand the Varley Art Gallery to increase the space available for exhibitions and community programming.

The $2.56 million modest scale expansion will give the Gallery an additional 500 square feet of space to
use for a continuous exhibit of Fred Varley artwork, thereby allowing more options for exhibitions in the main gallery. The added space will also increase capacity for community and public programming, which frequently has registration exceeding 100%.

The expansion project is possible in large part thanks to a major contribution from Mr. Wallace Joyce, who donated $1.4 million to the Varley-McKay Art Foundation last year. Though he has never lived in Markham, Mr. Joyce’s Pennsylvania German ancestors (Bartholomew and Cook) were among the community’s earliest settlers at the beginning of the 19th century.

“I think at one time I was probably related to half of Markham,” said Mr Joyce. His family knew Kathleen Gormley McKay in Unionville and, through them in later years, Mr. Joyce had the opportunity to meet both her and Fred Varley. Mrs. McKay’s generous gift of $1.2 million and her art collection inspired the building of the Varley Art Gallery in 1997.

Mr. Joyce was recognized and thanked by Markham Council yesterday and was presented with a commemorative plaque to acknowledge his generous donation. “We are deeply grateful to Mr. Joyce for his immense generosity and enthusiastic support of the Gallery and of our community,” said Markham Mayor Frank Scarpitti. “The Gallery is very much a part of the quality of life in Markham, and this expansion will help more people enjoy the cultural life we have to offer.”

“The Varley Art Gallery is becoming an important cultural resource and destination for the arts,” said Ward 3 Councillor Joseph Virgilio. “This donation and the expansion represent a major boost to the Gallery and its increasing prominence in the arts community.” The balance of funding for the expansion will come from infrastructure grants received by Markham through the Government of Ontario’s “Investing in Ontario 2008 Act”, and from the Varley-McKay Art Foundation of Markham.

The Gallery addition will be constructed in compliance with Unionville Heritage Conservation District Plan and will not be visible from Main Street or higher than the existing building. The project is currently in its preliminary stages, but members of the public will be invited to provide feedback and input into the plan and design concepts as the project progresses in 2009.

Previously, Mr. Joyce has also donated several important paintings to the Varley art collection, including two by Group of Seven member AY Jackson, one by AJ Casson and a Maurice Haycock work. In 2005, his collection was featured in an exhibition, Peaks and Totems, reflecting his personal taste in art curated by Katerina Atanassova.