Plea for new gallery launched

Press, 17 June 1982, Page 3

Plea for new gallery launched

A plea for a new art gallery was launched at the Robert McDougall Art Gallery’s jubilee celebrations vesterdav.

The gallery's director. Mr John Coley, told an invited audience of about 100 that Christchurch needed another art gallery instead of a carpark.

His proposed site for an adjunct gallery was at the comer of Rolleston Avenue and Worcester Street — now the site of a car-park and youth hostel.

; He envisaged a two-level i facility that would display I "the greater part of the i city’s collection, and contain all the community-related services, mini exhibitions, coffee shop, teaching studio, audio-visual room, and staff offices as well as adaptable exhibition spaces.” Meanwhile, the McDougall

Art Gallery would house early Canterbury works, and “appropriate” pieces from the permanent collection' on longer-term display. “Together, the Botanic Gardens, Arts Centre, Canterbury Museum, Robert McDougall Art Gallery and a new, adjunct gallery would not only provide the city with a compact, attractive cultural precinct for the pleasure of its citizens but would offer a powerful reason for visitors from overseas to come to Christchurch,” Mr Coley said.

Also present at the jubilee gathering were the Mayor of Christchurch, Sir Hamish Hay; the gallery’s architect, Mr Edward Armstrong; and " Mr McDougall’s two daughters, Mrs Jean Bristed and Mrs Nancy Seay. Sir Hamish praised the gallery, while congratulating its benefactors. He hoped that donations would continue and be encouraged by "realistic taxation policies to encourage charitable giving.” “I believe that the present taxation exemption for donations by individuals is totally inadequate and, in spite of the difficult economic conditions we are living in, should be increased to bring it more into line with most civilised Western countries,” Sir Hamish said. Even the gallery’s architect, Mr Edward Armstrong, thought he might do things a little differently if he were designing the gallery today. It was built for a static exhibition, rather than a growing and changing one, he said. The gallery also had to incorporate daylight lighting and so its ceilings were not very high and its sense of space not very great. ...... .. ... “I could do a lot with today’s modern, artificial lighting while increasing the scale of the gallery,” Mr Armstrong said. “It has certainly lasted very well — stood up to time.” '