Several months before Woodwards’ walls came tumbling down, Centre A (Vancouver’s International Centre for Contemporary Asian Art) moved from an office building at 849 Howe Street in Vancouver’s business district to the handsome 1912 edifice that once was the terminus for the trams that serviced the downtown area.

Like the Art Gym described last issue, the B.C. Electric Company headquarters offered good potential for becoming an important art and events venue.

Its ground floor boasts 25-foot ceilings, cement floors and a cluster of five metal supporting piers situated away from the walls to the left of the main entrance. There are 5000 square feet of virtually clear space and some make-do lighting. Ironically, a single desk lamp dimly illuminates the office in the depth of the cavernous room.

Executive Director Hank Bull says approximately $50,000 must be raised to transform Centre A into a properly functioning space. He hopes that the premise the non-profit society now rents at 8 West Hastings Street will soon be protected by a ‘bonused’ arrangement with the developer that would give the long-term stability necessary.

Centre A is a stones throw away from the new Woodwards’ development which is designated as a multipurpose complex (including social housing and high-end condos). The complex, situated in Canada’s poorest, most drug-plagued neighbourhood will likely open in 20l0. Centre A is now one of several, non-profit venues near to the Woodwards’ project that includes the long-established Artspeak, Gachet and Access galleries and is situated on the Carrell Street Corridor midway between the main tourist areas of Gastown and Chinatown.

Centre A plans to coordinate programs with its neighbours’ offerings and it will continue to fulfill its mandate of showcasing contemporary Asian art. It also plans to include more First Nations shows in its roster. The exhibitions will serve social, ethnic and cultural groups in this community which is in the process of change. Germaine Koh’s installation 5,000 Beer Bottles and 30 Years of Japanese Video from VideoIn’s collection will follow the current exhibition, Joanne Staniszkis’s Silk City.

Ann Rosenberg is a freelance curator, critic and author.