ROUALT PRINTS

Press, Volume XCVI, Issue 28347, 5 August 1957, Page 3

ROUALT PRINTS

Statement By Art Society

“In fairness to members of the council of the Canterbury Society of Arts, I think I should correct a false impression that may have been created by the correspondence on the Roualt prints, namely, that the Art Society’s council did not want to exhibit these prints. That is not the position,” said the president of the society (Mr A. A. C. Reed). “Early this year, the society received advice from the director of the Auckland Gallery that some half-dozen exhibitions would be available during the year; the Roualt prints were included in this list and stated to be available as from August,” said Mr Reed. “We decided to hold three exhibitions during the year, the last to be in the spring, for which we decided to have the exhibition from the British Craft Centre coupled with our working members’ own choice. These will fill the gallery, and it was thought that the Roualt prints would be suitable for the Public Library’s new exhibition room, which we understood would be ready during the year. “The Art Society’s gallery was booked for art exhibitions from early August until some time in November. Even if the gallery had been available later, it is doubtful if the society could have afforded a special exhibition for the Roualt prints. We lose money on practically every exhibition we hold; we lost £5O on the Henry Moore exhibition last year and will probably make a loss on the crafts exhibition,” said Mr Reed. “In other centres, it is not considered the function of the Art Society to show travelling exhibitions. In Auckland and Dunedin the City Council provides the finance, and in Wellington the National Gallery does so. We are now considering making an approach to the City Council for some financial assistance for these special exhibitions,” he said. “We would like all exhibitions from overseas to be shown in Christchurch, and I think this should be possible, given some ‘financial help from the City Council and rather better liaison among the Art Society, the McDougall Gallery committee, and the Public Library,” said Mr Reed.