Good feedback for Town art venue idea
ISLANDERS behind plans to turn the current tourist information centre into a boutique art venue have had good feedback from a video on social media detailing their plans.
Art For Guernsey have posted the video detailing their vision for the site, promising to build ‘one of the top ten boutique art venues in the world’.
The two-minute video has been viewed over 10,000 times by site users, many of them posting comments on how they believed it was a good idea.
Site user Kay De La Rue-Harding said: ‘I’m so excited about this.
‘I think Art for Guernsey has made huge inroads on the misconception that art is just a stuffy old painting admired only by the wealthy. All genres of art will be accessible with a dedicated art venue.’
The dedicated gallery space would give residents, visitors and students access to a wide range of artworks of international standard.
‘Permissions have already been secured to exhibit contemporary artists including Banksy through to Gainsborough and other traditional masters,’ said Art For Guernsey.
However, the Victor Hugo In Guernsey Society believe the site would be better suited to an interpretation centre celebrating the life and works of the French poet and novelist.
Under the society’s proposals, a charitable trust would be set up to raise money to fit out and operate the centre.
Society secretary Roy Bisson said the centre was the perfect spot for an interpretation centre and that he was in favour of an art gallery, it just did not have to be in the tourist information centre site.
Head of Arts development for Guernsey Arts Commission, Russ Fossey, said an iconic art venue of this type would be a fantastic asset for Guernsey.
‘[The art gallery] along with other emerging ideas such as a Victor Hugo Visitor Interpretation Centre should be considered thoroughly as part of the Arts Strategy.
‘We are seeing a great movement locally within the arts and a far wider understanding from government and business of how the arts, creativity and our cultural heritage can benefit our island.
‘This energy needs to be capitalised on, while we have this entrepreneurial momentum.’
