A new special exhibits gallery under construction at Dynamic Earth has recently been named the MacLean Engineering Gallery, thanks to a $100,000 donation from their firm.
The donation, made Mar. 17, will go toward the construction of a 2,000-square foot gallery that will house new yearly exhibits with a mining geology and earth science focus.
It will be an empty gallery space, but it will have all the technical requirements to set up exhibits, said Mia Boiridy, director of Dynamic Earth.
MacLean Engineering, a mining supply company, has been privately owned for over 30 years. The founder and majority owner, Don MacLean, a former Inco employee, is still actively involved in the company. Being an underground mining equipment supplier, they felt this attraction was a good fit for their company.
“For MacLean it’s exciting,” said Mike Mayhew, vice president of mining for MacLean Engineering.
“We felt this was a good venue for us to participate in and be a part of.”
“When tourists, parents and kids come into Sudbury and visit Dynamic Earth, they’ll have the opportunity to experience what underground is all about,” he said.
Construction is set to be complete by March 2009, when they plan on opening with a special diamonds exhibit.
Diamonds is a new travelling exhibition currently under development by Science North. Officials said it would offer “an immersive and engaging experience that takes visitors on a journey from rocks to riches.”
The MacLean Gallery is part of a 4,000 square foot, $3.3 million construction project that will also house the Xstrata Nickel Gallery.
Construction began in the fall of last year by J&N Construction. The new space will be located on Dynamic Earth’s top floor, adjacent to their Earth Gallery.
The construction project, Boiridy said, is being funded by donations from: Northern Ontario Heritage Fund with $1.4 million; City of Greater Sudbury with $350,000 and the remainder of the funds - $1.55 million - will come from fundraising, donations and other funding sources. Donations of $100,000, from both MacLean Engineering and Xstrata Nickel fall into the latter category.
Boiridy, said Science North and Dynamic Earth try to reach out to major corporations in the community to get funding and support for their initiatives.
“Part of the benefit a company gets in providing funding is the opportunity to have a space named after them,” she said.
The MacLean Engineering Gallery will join other Dynamic Earth, corporately named attraction, such as the Atlas Copco Theatre, the Inco Chasm and the Xstrata Nickel Gallery.
The Xstrata Nickel Gallery is set to open this June. Boiridi said it will provide the visitor with a multimedia experience, taking them from the mill, to the smelter, to the refinery and explain what happens to the rock once it’s on the surface and how it is manufactured into the finished product.
