The Two Rivers Gallery set some records during the Canada Winter Games.
Situated prominently in Canada Games Plaza, the city's premier art facility drew as many people on some days as the free evening concerts.
"We had a wee blip," joked curator George Harris.
"It was a major influx. It was an onslaught," assistant curator Maeve Hanna exclaimed. "It was approximately 15,000 that came through during the Games period. It was a pretty exciting time in here. On the day Tanya Tagaq performed, just that day alone, 2,000 people."
"That was our single biggest day, I think," said Harris.
The usual attendance at the gallery is between 1,600 and 1,800 people per month.
That doesn't include their extra programming like Sunday Open Studio or MakerLab, but the big Games numbers don't include special events like the provincial teams that rented the facility for their celebratory gatherings, or the Integris Credit Union series of business-to-business informal galas on the patio overlooking the plaza each night.
Hanna said that when they opened their Games-related art exhibitions in the main galleries, they also did some different events to kick it off. Instead of a formal speech by one of the participating artists, they brought together four of those involved - Anna-Maria Lawrie, Azucena Rudland, Crystalynn Tarr and Frances Gobbi - for a group discussion.
"I wanted it to be a shortened version of the artist's talk, so they each got a smaller explanation speech, but then we had them together for a panel discussion as well," said Hanna.
Another of the spotlight artists, the only one with works in both the exhibitions, plus her talents used to design the Team BC scarves and T-shirts and the 2015 Canada Winter Games medals, Jennifer Pighin, was also brought in for a personal artist's address.
Gallery organizers also arranged some musical interludes featuring the duo of Prince George Symphony Orchestra's conductor, and an operatic vocalist, Kevin Zakresky with nationally renowned cellist Morag Northey.
In addition to the business functions, Integris also hosted a group of local aboriginal youth and First Nations leaders at an exclusive meet-and-greet with star musicians A Tribe Called Red just prior to their mainstage performance.
"There is certainly a lot of potential in this building," said Harris, "and we are trying to make use of a big part of that potential by way of MakerLab and Sunday Open Studio. Those things are about supporting creativity in our community and maybe those are not always what we consider to be traditional uses of an art gallery, but they are sparking creative thought and drawing in creative people to this space. They are tools, and there are many other tools we are also using, that can be employed to almost any creative end. When you look at contemporary art movements and ideals to do with craft, that thinking is taking on a more and more important role. People are interested in how to hack their world, so to speak, and the gallery can quite naturally be proactive in fostering and nurturing that creative spirit."
