National contemporary art gallery

The Culture, Communications Welsh Language, Sport and International Relations Committee will be conducting a short inquiry into the Welsh Government’s plans for a national contemporary art gallery. It will be considering:

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>>>Delivery of the Welsh Government’s plans for a national contemporary art gallery;

>>>The merits of the model proposed by the Welsh Government (8-10 regional sites and an anchor hub);

>>>Digital access to contemporary art.

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Background

A feasibility study for a national contemporary art gallery was published by the Welsh Government in 2018. It proposed a “distributed national model that builds on 6-8 existing and developing arts locations across Wales, along with a permanent central hub”.

 

The Welsh Government’s evidence for the 2023-24 draft budget said:

 

“The establishment of a National Contemporary Art Gallery is a priority within the Cooperation Agreement. The feasibility study carried out by the Rural Office for Architecture in partnership with the Arts Council of Wales and Amgueddfa Cymru suggested that a dispersed model with 8-10 sites offering local access to bespoke or touring collections would be the preferred delivery model for the dispersed model of the National Contemporary Art Gallery.

 

In total we have committed £1.939m since 2019-20 including digitisation costs. Funding for 23/24 is subject to the outline business case which is currently being considered.

 

Progress continues on developing a number of elements within the model. Work to digitise the collection held by Amgueddfa Cymru is progressing well with the digitisation process to be completed in 2022/23. These digital assets have been used in a number of innovative ways during the pandemic to increase access to the collection, for example online articles and a participatory website where people can curate their own ‘top 100’ collections and NHS staff selecting items to be reproduced in large formats for display in field hospitals and vaccination centres. A new website is being developed to allow participating sites to create their own collections.

 

The dispersed model will allow greater access to the national collection and contemporary art by communities across Wales in a far more equitable way. Discussions have been taking place with a number of galleries to potentially be involved in the dispersed model.

 

However, further assessment work will need to be undertaken with any such potential galleries to fully understand costs and constraints before the final list of participating galleries is agreed.

 

We are exploring possibilities for an anchor site. A request for candidate sites was issued to public sector estate managers. Shortlisted venues have recently been notified and asked to develop their proposals.”

 

An update was provided in a Cabinet Statement on 12 May. This said:

 

“Since my last update to Members, there have been a number of further developments in the design of the model. It will have three distinct characteristics, supported by an online gallery:

 

1. A network of galleries across Wales will provide free access to the national collection and bring contemporary art closer to communities.

 

2. Host galleries will host the national collection of Welsh art.

 

3. An anchor gallery will provide a prominent public face for the national contemporary art gallery.”

 

And:

 

“Nine venues have been shortlisted as members of the network of galleries where people can view the national collection close to their homes. Each of the venues is undergoing a more detailed assessment.

 

The venues are:

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>>>Aberystwyth Arts Centre, Aberystwyth

>>>Glynn Vivian Art Gallery, Swansea

>>>MOSTYN, Llandudno

>>>Newport Museum & Art Gallery, Newport

>>>Oriel Davies, Newtown

>>>Oriel Myrddin, Carmarthen

>>>Plas Glyn-y-Weddw, Pwllheli

>>>Ruthin Craft Centre, Ruthin

>>>STORIEL, Bangor

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Host galleries are those which either currently host or plan to host the national collection and are part of the current infrastructure in Wales. They include Amgueddfa Cymru’s sites in Cardiff and potentially Llanberis and the National Library of Wales, in Aberystwyth. Their inclusion will further increase access to contemporary Welsh art.

 

In September 2022, we received a total of 14 expressions of interest from the public sector to become the anchor site for the National Contemporary Art Gallery. Five local authority areas – Wrexham, Swansea, Merthyr Tydfil, Newport and Cardiff – were invited to develop their plans further. We will receive the more detailed plans later this month.

 

In February 2023, we also invited the third sector to submit expressions of interest for any sites which match the criteria for the National Contemporary Art Gallery. Two expressions of interest were submitted and these will now be assessed.”

 

In March 2023 the Arts Council advertised for a Project Director for the National Contemporary Art Gallery, along with an Independent Chair to lead the Project Board.

 

In 2008 a feasibility study for a National Gallery of Art for Wales and an options study for a National Centre for Contemporary Art were undertaken. Neither of the studies’ recommendations – to house the National Gallery of Art in a reconfigured Cathays Park site; and to house a National Centre for Contemporary Art in a white box space in Newport Riverside or Swansea – were taken forward.