About six years ago, while he was caring for his dying mother at Crossroads hospice in Port Moody, Gregory Elgstrand had somewhat of a revelation.
The Centennial secondary graduate, who at the time was working in Toronto as an arts consultant, noticed Port Moody had branded itself the City of the Arts.
Intrigued, Elgstrand returned home and started to research about Port Moody's creative community and formulate a plan to open a cultural hub.
Last year, he and his wife took a leap of faith and moved to Port Moody, with the dream of collecting enough funds to build a new public forum for the contemporary arts, called Bohart.
Since then, Elgstrand has incorporated Bohart as a non-profit society with a board of directors.
They include Corner Gas' Fred Ewanuick; choreographer Cori Caulfield; Jon Tupper, the executive director of the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria; and investment banker Christian Farstad.
They meet quarterly to discuss the direction of Bohart - a name that pays tribute to Elgstrand's mother's family - and tailor future fundraising efforts.
As part of its start-up, the society has launched Bohart 100, a strategy to get sponsors, donors, private and public funding agencies to contribute at least $100 to the Bohart foundation to become a "friend."
Benefits include invitations to exhibit openings, special events, discounts on ticketed programs and subscriptions to the Bohart magazine, of which the first edition is set to come out this fall.
Already, Bohart has made its first step with film screenings at the Kyle Centre on the third Thursday of the month. And soon, Bohart will offer programming (exhibits, lectures, music recitals, etc.) on the first Thursday of the month.
"We are well aware that this is a long-term venture," Elgstrand said during an interview at the Kyle Centre on Monday, "but I think it will be well worth the wait."
Elgstrand said he's struggling to find a suitable - and affordable - location for Bohart; real estate prices have skyrocketed in Moody Centre since construction began this year on the Evergreen Line.
But he feels the City of the Arts will embrace the centre that will be similar in style to Winnipeg's Plug In Institute of Contemporary Art Gallery, Toronto's The Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery or the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London, England, with curated displays, performances and film screenings from local, regional, national and international artists.
"It just seems like the right time and right place to do this," Elstrand said.
The next Bohart program will be a screening at the Kyle Centre (125 Kyle St.) on Thursday featuring Un Homme Qui Dort (The Man Who Sleeps), at 7:30 p.m. Admission is by donation. To donate to Bohart, go to www.bohart.ca.
