Museum London is turning its largest wall into a window that opens up a 360-degree vista on London’s art, history and culture.

The art and historical museum announced a $3.5-million building and endowment campaign Wednesday to redevelop its educational space into a new creative area called Centre at the Forks.

It will be a place that “excites, inspires and engages” museum visitors and passersby alike, said museum chairperson Paul van der Werf.

Museums and galleries in general have changed from being places where people look and observe, said executive director Brian Meehan. “It’s really a gathering place. When you come to the Centre at the Forks, you will be coming here both to see things and to do things.”

That will include art classes, theatrical events, digital-imaging lab and 3D printing.

Its most visible feature will be a two-storey window that will be created from the blank canvas that is now a southwest-facing wall.

When the building was constructed, it was oriented towards downtown, Meehan said. “We really wanted to open ourselves up to the river again... The windows will serve to look out and be welcoming-in.”

This meshes well with the city’s plans to make the forks of the Thames a focal point of London and to create a pedestrian/vehicle flex street.

London Life has committed $300,000 towards the campaign that includes $2.5 million for the renovation and $1 million for an endowment fund.

“When I view the river, when I view the water it opens the world up to you,” said Stefan Kristjanson, president and chief operating officer of Great-West Life, London Life and Canada Life. “You see potential, you see journey, you see pathways you might not have otherwise (seen), as opposed to looking at a wall. It opens up creativity.”

Architectural plans are expected to be done early next year, with a contract awarded soon after that. The plan is that the project would be complete by the end of 2017, Meehan said.

Centre at the Forks

Planned revitalization of Museum London will include:

A window-wall that looks out on to the Thames River and back into the gallery.

Historical artifacts and culture will be enhanced with digital audio and images, with personal audio tours detailing exhibits and artists.

A media lab will include digital imaging and 3-D printing facilities so families can create their own cultural and heritage narratives and artwork.

New partnerships in arts education, such as art therapy.

A community hub and meeting place.

Creating an artist-in-residence.

Offering remote access to the centre and its programming for people who can’t physically come to the museum.

Raising $3.5 million: $2.5 million for the physical space, $1 million as an endowment fund.

For more information:Visit museumlondon.ca