NEW ART GALLERY

Press, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20472, 16 February 1932, Page 13

NEW ART GALLERY

METHOD OF CONTROL. MAYOR'S SCHEME ADOPTED. The proposals for the control of the new Art Gallery, the gift to the City of Mr R. E. McDougall, made by the Mayor (Mr D. G. Sullivan, M.P.) last week, were submitted by the Mayor to the Christchurcli City Council at its meeting last night. The Mayor's Statement. Tho Mayor, in the course of his statement, said: — "I have to report that on the 9th instant 1 had a conference with representatives of the Canterbury Society of Arts regarding tho management of tho new Art Gallery. "The representatives met me in a very friendly spirit and after a brief discussion I submitted tho following proposals, which were favourably received:— "(1) That an Art Gallery Committee consisting of seven members be appointed; four representing the Christchurch City Council, and three representing tho Canterbury Society of Arts. Tho term of office of all members of the committee to coincide with the Councillors' term oil office. "(2) That a sub-conimittoc consisting of the representatives of the Canterbury Society of Arts be appointed to deal with the technical and artistic side of the work. The sub-committee to inspect all pictures and decide which are of sufficient merit to be hung in tho new Art Gallery. "(3) The control of the finances to bo solely in tho hands of the City Council's representatives. "(4) The Canterbury Society of Arts to select and hand over from its collection such pictures as it deems suitable for hanging in the new Art Gallery. "(5) In the event of any picture which was formorly owned by the Canterbury Society of Arts being removed from the walls of the gallery, the Society to have the right of re-hanging it in the old Gallery.

"These proposals will be submitted to the Council of thc Canterbury Society of Arts for approval, and I recommend that the Council adopt them. 1 further recommend that the Council's representatives on thc committee be Councillors Andrews, Archer, Bcnnland, and myself." Present Committee Cumbersome. The Mayor said that ho also was of tho opinion that the Standing Committee of thc Council should take control of tho opening function, and also make recommendations in regard to the staff. Another committee had been operating which included rejirosentatives of the architects' and other organisations, which he thought was .just a little cumbersome for thc work in hand, because that committee was vested with the additional duty of making recommendations in respect of gifts (apart from the Gallery), and it might continue to' function in that direction. Thc time had arrived, however, when there should be a Standing Committee of "the City Council, in conjunction with the Society of Arts. Mr R. E. McDougall, who made the gift of the Gallery to the City, was a member of tho present committee, but was not included as a regular member of the committee now proposed, because it would «be a permanent administrative committee, but he thought that they might very well extend an invitation to Mr McDougall to be present at meetings of thc committee as a guest of tho committee, which, he felt sure, Mr McDougall would feel inclined to accept. His Worship moved tho adoption of thc schemo as set out in his statement, and the recommendation that the Council's representatives on t.he committee should be tho Mayor, Crs. 1 Andrews, Archer, and Bcanland. Cr. A. A. McLachlan seconded. Cr. J. McCombs: I presume that the four members in charge of tho finance would be subject to thc Council? The Mayor: Yes. Cr. E. H. Andrews asked if it would bo necessary to give notice of motion to disband the prosent committee * The Mayor: I don't think so. I think later on we will call a meeting of that committee, and if the matter is explained, as T have explained it to-night i don t think that any difficulty will be raised by members of that committee; a number of its members have agreed to the course proposed. The Mayor's motion was agreed to.