SAG is the second largest public art gallery in the Metro Vancouver Region. In 2019, in order to build on the successes of the TechLab, Open Sound, UrbanScreen, and its renowned media galleries, it embarked on a strategic planning process that included an in-depth digital strategy and visioning process. 

Led by Hanna on behalf of NGX Interactive, with Barker Langham, this work was specifically oriented towards creating a robust digital strategy via wide ranging consultation, that would be foundational to the Gallery’s case for support made to the City of Surrey. This effort resulted in the Gallery successfully obtaining a preliminary $15M commitment from the municipality in December 2021, as part of the City’s Parks, Recreation and Culture (PRC) Strategic Plan and Surrey City Centre Master Plan.

The planning process included community surveys (online and in-gallery), observational evaluation, 1-1 interviews, focus groups, user journey mapping, and a new media artist workshop as part of the Gallery’s 20th anniversary TechLab anniversary. Methods were customized to mirror the Gallery’s new media specialization, unique demographics, and strong commitment to inclusion, anti-racism, systemic change, and community-first principles of engagement. 

A key outcome of this digital strategy is that by 2025, funds will be allocated to the first world-class cultural facility in Surrey and a major attraction in Surrey’s rapidly growing City Centre. SAG will become the Interactive Art Museum (“iAM”), and will feature creative spaces for contemporary art learning, such as art exhibition halls, TechLab and maker spaces, open studios for artists in residence, events rooms, a performance hall, and outdoor space for creative temporary projects.