U Centre changes move Maltwood; open Welcome Centre
- Patty Pitts
Changes to University Centre in the coming year will improve services to students and shift the research, instruction and exhibition role played by the Maltwood Art Museum and Gallery to the Legacy Gallery in downtown Victoria.
A new UVic Welcome Centre will move into the first floor of the University Centre to provide a first point of contact on campus for students and prospective students, visitors and members of the UVic community looking for information about the university.
“We’re very excited about having our Welcome Centre in such a high-visibility location in the centre of campus,” says centre manager Bruno Rocca. “This will make it easier for students and visitors to find us, and for staff to create a welcoming, service-oriented atmosphere.”
The Maltwood’s move to an expanded Legacy Gallery on Yates Street will improve students’ and researchers’ access to UVic’s art collection for teaching and research purposes, provide more exhibition space and give UVic an even higher presence and level of engagement downtown.
The Maltwood closure allows UVic to open its new Welcome Centre, expand University Centre food services for the campus population and those attending Farquhar Auditorium performances, and provide space for other student and support services. Recognition of UVic’s founders and supporters will also be incorporated into the area.”
Moving the Maltwood’s role downtown will make the Legacy Gallery, established as part of the Michael Williams’ bequest, a closer part of the university’s academic mission. Renovations to the downtown heritage building, which will take place in the spring, include a seminar room for students and researchers.
“We will be able to display even more art from all of the UVic art collections,” says Joy Davis, interim director of the gallery. “We look forward to establishing an exciting exhibition schedule at Legacy that builds on the success the gallery has experienced as a part of Victoria’s downtown arts scene over the past three years.”
The Maltwood has been closed since the fall as part of the ongoing campus Knowledge Infrastructure Program renovations. The Legacy Gallery will continue its current exhibitions and will then install a showing of pieces from the Williams collection until renovations begin in the early spring. The gallery hopes to reopen by late spring.
The Maltwood Prints and Drawings Gallery in the McPherson Library will continue to showcase pieces from the Maltwood Collection on campus.
The Welcome Centre is scheduled to open in time for the start of September classes. The timeline for the completion of the food services renovations is still under development.