Simon Fraser University (SFU) has received a significant donation from the Marianne and Edward Gibson Trust and family to establish the SFU Art Museum, a 12,000-square-foot dynamic new arts and cultural facility at its Burnaby campus.

Scheduled to complete in 2022, the SFU Art Museum will be a teaching museum, creating interdisciplinary learning and research opportunities for SFU students as well as offering important exhibitions, community outreach and partnership with other institutions and organizations.

“This new facility will be an exciting addition to the Burnaby campus and will enrich the cultural landscape of Metro Vancouver,” says SFU president Andrew Petter. “This visionary gift from the Marianne and Edward Gibson Trust and family will enable students, scholars and the public to gain an appreciation and understanding of modern and contemporary art, while enabling SFU to extend its commitment to be Canada’s engaged university.”

The SFU Art Museum will be built in UniverCity and allow the SFU Art Collection to expand. The SFU Art Collection includes more than 5,500 works of art. Approximately 1,000 pieces are displayed year-round on SFU campuses.

The late Edward Gibson joined the university as a charter faculty member in 1965 and later became director of the SFU Gallery from 1986 until his retirement in 1997. Gibson and his wife, Marianne, have been true patrons of both the arts and education. Under Gibson’s direction, collectors from across Canada donated large canvases that were installed throughout the university. Gibson authored a report that advocated developing an art museum, which planted the seed for his legacy today.

“Edward had a great passion in his teaching, research and life for a sense of place intersected with design and style,” says Walter Gibson, son of Marianne and Edward Gibson. “The art museum represents the culmination of his vision for arts both at SFU and within the Canadian landscape.”