New Art Gallery By February 1

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31360, 4 May 1967, Page 1

New Art Gallery By February 1

Work will begin soon on a two-storey art gallery for the Canterbury Society of Arts on a site at 66 Gloucester street. The society envisages the new centre as “a very lively place and a stimulus to art in Canterbury,” according to the secretary (Mr R. R. Laidlaw).

A tender has been let to M. L. Paynter, Ltd., of Christchurch. The society has refused to disclose the price. The president (Mr S. E. Mair) said yesterday that the building committee had decided that the cost of the new building should not be made public because this would not be fair to the other tenderers.

Architects for the building are Messrs Minson, HenningHansen, and Dines, of Christchurch.

The building is expected to be finished by February 1. It will be of reinforced concrete columns and beams, with con-crete-block panels. The main gallery will run the whole length of the building, which will occupy most of the site.

A feature will be two rows of pyramid-shaped, protruding skylights. These are designed to let in as much diffused light as possible. The two nearest the entrance to the building will be sheathed in copper. Off the entrance hall will be a selling gallery where artists’ work can be displayed for sale. There will be another small gallery towards the back of the building, and a mezzanine floor will be constructed above the main gallery. The society’s resources would be stretched by going ahead with the building on its present plan, but it had been decided to provide something worthwhile which the city needed, said Mr Laidlaw. A substantial debt would be incurred, and furnishings and equipment had also to be provided. Storage space would also have to be included. However, the new gallery would be a lively place in whifrji it would be possible to

have two or three exhibitions at the same time. The completion of the gallery will coincide with the Pan Pacific Arts Festival to be, held in Christchurch in March. The society aims to recruit 500 more members this year to give a total of 1700 and greatly strengthen its finances. The present gallery, on land belonging to the Justice Department, has been sold to the department.