The Neil Balkwill Civic Arts Centre 2420 Elphinstone Street

The Neil Balkwill Civic Arts Centre, named in honour of the city’s superintendent of recreation Neil Balkwill and designed by architect Willem de Lint, opened at a special reception on Friday, September 10, 1982. Introduced as a civic center “devoted to demonstrations and displays of weaving, jewelry making, woodworking, photography and a number of other arts and crafts,” the center had devoted facilities and materials for a variety of disciplines.

First proposed in 1976, the project was initially hampered by issues such as finding a perfect location both accessible by transit and offering ample parking space. Many advocates, including Neil Balkwill, worked tirelessly to make the idea a reality and construction finally began in Les Sherman Park in the spring of 1981. The building was completed in 1982 at a cost of $1 million. For the opening events, the gallery featured works from the Saskatchewan Arts Board and the Mackenzie Art Gallery and provided demonstrations of various disciplines including weaving and spinning, quilting and stitchery, and woodworking.

The Neil Balkwill Civic Arts Centre has provided a creative community space for Regina residents of all ages and skill levels, and for countless community groups and clubs, for several decades. In addition to its dedicated facilities, the center houses the Art Gallery of Regina, has held concerts, art shows and sales, fundraisers, reading series, and coffeehouses, and has provided program and meeting space to numerous arts and crafts guilds.