PARC Retirement Living Gifts $250,000 to North Shore’s Polygon Gallery

L-R Reid Shier (Presentation House Gallery), Rainer Müller (PARC), and Uno Langmann (Collector) view excerpts from a Presentation House exhibit.

PARC Retirement Living announced today a $250,000 donation to North Vancouver’s Presentation House Gallery. The gift will be directed to Presentation House’s new Polygon Gallery, currently under construction on North Vancouver’s waterfront at the foot of Lonsdale Avenue. 

“The Polygon Gallery will transform arts and culture on the North Shore. PARC is proud to support Presentation House’s bold vision for the future of arts in our community,” says Rainer Müller, PARC’s Founder and Chairman. “Art can powerfully enhance quality of life and enliven the everyday, and we make it a priority in our PARC communities. We look forward to seeing the Polygon Gallery come to life and introducing our residents to it.”

“Rainer Müller has long been a supporter of the arts in North Vancouver,” says Reid Shier, Director / Curator, Presentation House Gallery. “He is a community citizen whose investment in the fabric of culture on the North Shore has positively impacted Presentation House Gallery in the past, and will help propel Polygon Gallery into the future. 

PARC opened its first retirement community in North Vancouver in 2001, and today more than 560 North Shore residents call one of three PARC communities home. Müller, a member of the Swiss Society of Engineers and Architects, has a philosophy of developing communities where seniors benefit from cultural, social, and educational opportunities. He has invested in works of art for PARC residences and has forged long relationships with community arts organizations like Presentation House Gallery. The gallery has often brought excerpts of exhibitions directly to PARC for residents to enjoy.

PARC has partnered with Presentation House Gallery for many years. The organization’s support to the Polygon Gallery capital campaign is among the largest gifts the campaign has received, and marks an exciting level of support for the gallery. The campaign goal is $20 million and this contribution brings the total to over $16.5 million. 

Designed by renowned BC firm Patkau Architects, the Polygon Gallery will be Vancouver’s first new public art gallery of the 21st century. The gallery will be a welcoming waterfront landmark at the gateway to North Vancouver. The new building is designed to be operationally self- sustaining, and includes a gift shop and cafe, as well as exhibition and education space.