In a meeting yesterday it was decided that the Arts Council will not fund any further plans from The Public, West Bromwich, including those for the long awaited interactive gallery. The reasons given are an absence of a firm opening date for the gallery and the considerable increase in annual revenue funding required to deliver the plan. It was announced last year that tickets for the gallery will be priced at £6.95 for adults, which stoked the fires of many angry taxpayers.
They have, however awarded Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council an award of up to £3m to allow them to develop a revised plans and to bring the building fully into public use. The Arts Council’s intention is that the significant investment made by all the funders will benefit the residents of Sandwell.
Sir Christopher Frayling, Chair of Arts Council England, said:
“We are the national development agency for the arts, and investing in ground breaking creative projects that have the potential to give more people access to great art is central to what we do. That is why we supported this project and why, at every stage, we have worked with our partners and carefully weighed the level of risk involved against the potential public benefit.
But the fact is that, although the building is open, the interactive art gallery at the centre of the vision for The Public is not. We have done everything we can but there comes a point where we have to make a difficult judgement – and regretfully, that moment is now.”
The Public will be releasing a statement later on today.
Good,the public puts the arts to shame.
This would of not of happened if it was private money.Great example of councils wasting money.
While The Public is a delightful building, I’m against any public funding for the arts on principle. I don’t think the Arts Council should even exist.
why does this building make me think of spongebob squarepants?
Did the(real) public ever ask for this? Nope. Where in the name of all things holy has the money gone? Has anyone seen the accounts for this place? How many bands, artists, small venues, new businesses could £65million support? It makes my blood boil.
Arts Council England initially gave £30 million to The Public; at the very same time it cut all the funding to nearly 200 arts organisations from all around the country.
It is time the whole funding issue was fully investigated. Many organisations/museums/art galleries are having to jump through hoops whilst The Public is handed money on a plate; its unjust! If you wish to do something about it then to Downing Street Petitions “thepublic”
The quick link for expressing your views on The Public is:
http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/thepublic/
It’s such a hideous building – it’s hardly Selfridges, which compliments the background of the city… The Public just overshadows WB completely.
From what I’ve seen of it, I can’t say there’s anything there that I’d want to see – seems like a complete waste of money.
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