ART GALLERY IN INVERCARGILL

Southland Times, Issue 25763, 29 August 1945, Page 2

ART GALLERY IN INVERCARGILL

PROPOSAL SUPPORTED BY ROTARY CLUB

The need for an art gallery in Invercargill and a suggestion that one should be built to mark the city’s centennial in 1956 were informally discussed at the weekly luncheon of the Invercargill Rotary Club yesterday. A suggestion was made that the club should set up a sub-committee to assist the Southland University Association in its efforts to obtain an art gallery for the city. In the weekly letter to the club, Mr. F. G. Hall-Jones stated: “A visiting judge recently inquired where the art gallery was, and I had to confess our cultural poverty. The University Association has commendably taken up the proposal, but will reqxrire much help. Are there sufficient Rotarians interested to justify a sub-committee being set up to get behind the association? I am convinced, that with a propel’ effort we could have an art gallery 10 years hence, in time for Invercargill’s centennial.” Commenting on the letter Mr C. E. Watts supported the proposal. He thought there was liable to be too much emphasis on the physical and too little on the cultural and spiritual side of community life. FOUNDERS SUGGESTED Mr Hall-Jones said the University Association had done good work in starting the art gallery movement in a practical way. He felt that Rotary should be in a position to assist materially in making the art gallery a reality. He had an idea of getting founders who would be prepared to contribute substantial amounts. An art gallery at the moment was not, he thought, practicable, and would be wrong while houses were so short, but he looked forward to having one in 1956 for our centennial.

In the Hocken Library the names of the founders were recorded on a tablet. There might be families in Invercargill who would like to perpetuate tlxeir name in such a way. In some cases institutions which had performed public service might wish to have their names placed on record. If say 20 people would give £5OO each, the total £lO,OOO, would give, say, an entrance hall and two wings. Although Rotary itself could not undertake the project there were Rotarians who might form a sub-committee to take the first steps. “I feel,” said Mr Hall-Jones, “that the people of Invercargill arp missing something by having no art gallery. A collection of modern paintings and old masters such as coxild be seen in the wonderful galleries of Europe might be beyond our reach. But we could secure some representative modern works and excellent prints were obtainable at moderate cost. Exhibitions of tlxe various types of painting could be arranged and would be of great value to children and the citizens generally.”