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This article was published 18/11/2020 (2173 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

When it opens in February, Qaumajuq at the Winnipeg Art Gallery will hold the world’s largest public collection of contemporary Inuit art. And for its inaugural year, membership will be free for people under 25 years old and cost just $35 for anyone older than that, the WAG announced Tuesday.

It’s a move the gallery says will reduce barriers to entry to the centre, increasing public access to a collection and building that’s been years in the making.

Qaumajuq, which is Inuktitut for “It is bright, it is lit,” will also be free to enter for any Indigenous person, the WAG announced earlier this fall. People under the age of 18 will be able to enter free without signing up for a membership.

“I think of art as one of the most powerful tools we have to communicate, to help people understand, and expose them to different ideas and perspectives,” WAG CEO and director Stephen Borys said Tuesday.

“To open this up as much as possible to the youth and our communities is something I think is very important.”

The museum has had success with free entry programs in the past, including free Sundays sponsored by Canada Life, and when the centre opens, Borys said its important that the artwork there is accessible to all.

The announcement of free and discounted memberships is an indication that the centre “belongs” to the public, Borys said.

As of Tuesday, the “friend” memberships are available to preorder, the WAG said. Signing up grants access to exclusive content ahead of the upcoming opening.

Though currently closed, the WAG is also calling on community members who are able to make a donation to support its programming: until Nov. 30, a local philanthropist is matching up to $500,000 in donations. Along with the free and discounted memberships, the museum is also offering partner, patron and “friends with benefits” memberships, which includes added perks such as discounts to the shop and early registration for select programming.

True to the meaning of its name, the Qaumajuq building relies on natural light, and was designed by American firm Michael Maltzan Architecture with Winnipeg’s Cibinel Architecture. The building connects to the museum. Floor-to-ceiling windows give passersby a vantage of the centre’s main floor, with its centrepiece visual vault, displaying thousands of carvings.

ben.waldman@freepress.mb.ca