Three Fredericton families make major gifts to the Performing Arts Centre
When you walk through the main entrance off of King Street into the Performing Arts Centre once it opens in late 2026, you’ll notice a few familiar Fredericton names on the spaces you move into.
The first space you’ll see in front of you is a beautiful art gallery. The gallery will be a prominent space where local visual artists’ work is displayed in a series of ever-changing exhibitions that will generate interest in and appreciation of the rich visual arts community in our region.
The gallery will be called the galerie Gary and Diane Morrison Gallery, made possible by a generous $100,000 donation from Gary Morrison.
Gary moved from northern New Brunswick to Fredericton to go to St. Thomas University and the University of New Brunswick, where he met Diane. They married and lived downtown – Gary has been in the same house for 46 years now. Diane, who passed away in 2020, enjoyed walking with Gary back and forth to the market, the Playhouse and other Fredericton haunts. She loved both performance and visual art, and served on the Playhouse board for many years. Gary has always believed in community-building: he purchased the Morrison Building at 514 Queen Street and restored it beautifully, served as president of Downtown Fredericton Inc., and is a lifetime member of the Harvest Festival.
“The Performing Arts Centre is going to make a big difference in downtown Fredericton,” Gary said. “I like the direction we’re heading. The decision to support was easy, and the gallery makes sense because Diane and I grew to love art together. I’m proud to support it.”
Tim Yerxa with Gary Morrison
galerie Diane and Gary Morrison Gallery
After admiring the artwork and being drawn through the entry of the Performing Arts Centre, you’ll see a reimagined version of the traditional “box office.” A graciously designed, open-counter welcome centre will provide information, ticketing services, customer service, and general reception from both the main entrance vestibule and the main floor lobby adjacent to the art gallery.
We’re pleased to announce that this important space will be called the bureau d’accueil Sansom Family Welcome Centre, thanks to a very generous $100,000 gift from David and Brenda Sansom.
“When the announcement was made about the new Performing Arts Centre, we were both eager and thrilled to do our part to help make Fredericton proud,” they said. “Our personal lives have been enriched and enhanced by live theatre since the Fredericton Playhouse first opened. We have personally witnessed the positive influence it has on people, and the integral role it plays in our greater community.”
The Sansom family has been deeply rooted in Fredericton for well over 100 years, and Brenda and David say that watching the community grow and prosper energizes them. At the same time, they’re also avid travellers and say they’ve always been received as warm and welcoming Canadians. “That is an honour that we respect and strive to live up to. The naming of the Welcome Centre spoke to us in a heartbeat, and we were thrilled to jump in.”
“The ‘joy of giving’ is a personal and fulfilling experience. Our new Performing Arts Centre will soon become the crowning jewel of our downtown. We are extremely excited and justifiably proud to watch this dream unfold.”
Tim Yerxa with Brenda and David Sansom
bureau d’accueil Sansom Family Welcome Centre
As you continue into the venue, the space opens up and you’re bathed in the natural light and warm wood walls of the main floor lobby. This generous space, from which you enter and exit the Main Hall, will be an open public space for formal and informal gatherings, and will become a true community hub filled with activity both day and evening. It’s the modern open-air space we’ve all been dreaming of for the community.
We’re thrilled to announce that this space will be named the hall d’entrée Walker Family Lobby, thanks to a tremendous gift of $500,000 from Lois Walker Gillin and her family.
Fredericton has always been home for Lois – she and her husband Andrew Ross 'Punch' Walker built their family home on Smythe Street in 1965 and it was the only one her children, Jim Walker and Nancy Rector knew as they grew up.
Lois is well known as both a philanthropist and volunteer in the community – she has created countless scholarships to support students at UNB, given significantly to the Fredericton Downtown Community Health Centre, serves with St. Paul’s United Church to help feed those who need it, and spends mornings making brown bag lunches for people living rough on the streets.
So, when she was asked if the Performing Arts Centre might be something she’d be interested in supporting, the answer was a quick yes. “I go to the Playhouse all the time and believe the new venue will be a big boost for Fredericton. It will attract people from all over the province and is certain to be a spectacular building. I love that the ground floor is a big open lobby that feels almost like a community centre open all day and evening. It will be wonderful to see local artists performing there.”
Lois says she believes in the mission of Fredericton Playhouse Inc. to strengthen community through live performance. “This is a chance to support the growth of programs like school field trips for children to see shows for the first time, or the “pay-what-you-will” program to make shows available to those who can’t afford it. I’m very happy to be able to help.”
Tim Yerxa with Lois Walker Gillin and Nancy Rector
hall d’entrée Walker Family Lobby
