Oral - Display of Visual Art in Wales

Following the publication of the David Clarke Associates report on the future display of art in Wales in January 2006, the then Minister for Culture, Welsh Language and Sport commissioned a feasibility study into the establishment of both a national gallery and national centre for contemporary art.

In July 2007 the Welsh Assembly Government outlined in 'One Wales’ its commitment to exploring the feasibility of a national gallery of art for Wales.

I am pleased to be able to report to you today that the feasibility study into both a national gallery and national centre for contemporary art has now been completed.

Since 2000, a number of studies have examined the future display of visual art in Wales. A thorough examination of the subject was important, given that the Centre for Visual Arts in Cardiff closed in 2000, after just 18 months of operation.
The earlier reports differentiated between the needs of contemporary art and those of the historic art collections of Wales held by National Museum Wales. They concluded that the role and function of a national gallery was sufficiently distinct from that of a commissioning organisation that two separate facilities were indicated—first, a national gallery of art, and, secondly, a national centre for contemporary art.

The report identifies that there would be considerable cost implications to both the creation of a national gallery and a national centre for contemporary art and that both would be major and long-term projects.

For the national gallery, the report recommends the building of a new north wing on the current National Museum site in Cathays park. This would enable the current science displays to be moved to the new wing to create a science museum in Cathays park. The entire current National Museum site could then be used for the display of art, thus creating a national gallery. The capital cost of this project is estimated to be £85.5 million, with additional operational costs of £707,000 per annum, both at 2008 prices.

For the national centre for contemporary art, the report recommends the establishment of a large-scale centre to allow for the creation of a signature building, to make a statement about Wales’s position in the international contemporary art world. The capital cost of this project is estimated to be £38.8 million, with development costs totalling £2.5 million over six years, and ongoing operational costs of £1.5 million per annum, all at 2008 prices.

The Welsh Assembly Government welcomes the publication of this feasibility report and remains committed to the cultural vibrancy of Wales. However, neither the Welsh Assembly Government, National Museum Wales nor the Arts Council of Wales have the resources available to take forward these projects in the short to medium term. This situation is heightened by the lack of availability of capital resources from the National Lottery, and neither project could therefore be realistically considered until sometime in the years following 2012.

The development of a national gallery is not an immediate Amgueddfa Cymru priority. The museum considers it an important long-term project, but recognises that it will require significant further development work and considerable fundraising efforts before it could come on stream. Over the next five years, the museum will be developing the story of the people of Wales. While the focus will be at new developments at St Fagans, the museum will also reflect this story across all its sites, particularly, for example, at Llanberis. The development of the national gallery and science museum could therefore not realistically be developed before 2015 to 2020. In the short term, the museum has identified the development of the west wing as a key priority in moving towards the establishment of a national gallery. This development would increase access for everyone to items from the national collection, by providing 40 per cent more exhibition space.

In support of this development, I am pleased to announce today that the Welsh Assembly Government will be providing the museum with £1 million over the next two years to enable this project to be realised. On completion of the west wing project, the entire first floor of the museum will be devoted to the display of art, ensuring that more of our national collections can be enjoyed by the people of Wales.

The creation of a national centre for contemporary art remains a long-term aspiration of the Arts Council of Wales. However, the arts council recognises that this is a long-term project that would require the development of new partnerships and significant fundraising activity. Again, given the current constraints on capital funding from the National Lottery, this project could therefore not realistically be taken forward until sometime in the years following 2012.

The Welsh Assembly Government will therefore continue to work with the arts council to develop the visual arts sector in Wales. Since the publication of the Pratley report in 2000, the arts council has invested almost £17.5 million of capital funding in the visual arts across Wales. In its new visual arts strategy, the arts council identifies the continued development of the visual arts infrastructure as a short to medium-term priority. In support of this, I am pleased to announce today that the Welsh Assembly Government is providing the arts council with capital funding of £700,000 in this financial year to support the development of the visual arts infrastructure.

This funding will be used to improve the visual arts infrastructure at Oriel Mostyn, Aberystwyth Arts Centre and Chapter Arts Centre. In conclusion, the establishment of a national gallery and national centre for contemporary art remain long-term aspirations, which could not be realistically taken forward until sometime in the years following 2012. In the short to medium term, the additional funding that I have announced today will enable Amgueddfa Cymru to take a step closer to the creation of a national gallery and the arts council to further enhance the visual arts infrastructure in Wales.