New art gallery coming but more funding needed

Local artists are one step closer to having a new home to exhibit their work, after close to 20 years of promises.

That’s because the Ministry of Culture has started work on the new home of the National Art Gallery at the former home of the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) in the Block A building at the Garrison.

However, with limited funding for the project, authorities are hoping that several donors will contribute to the cause in the coming months.

Over the past few weeks, workers from the industrial coating firm Steam and Gleam Ltd. have been sandblasting the building.

Minister with responsibility for Culture John King, who has been pushing for the new location for the national art collection, told Barbados TODAY it was his hope to see it completed soon. He said he was unable to give a definite completion date but stressed that the work being carried out was only the first phase.

“This has been in the plans since 2002 and a lot of our artists have been begging for years for this particular project to be done and it was one of the things I set myself as a target that we have to get done, and we will,” declared King.

The other project was the opening of the Rock Hall Freedom Park in St Thomas, which was accomplished towards the end of August last year.

Minister King said he was happy to begin the transformation process of the old CXC building to house the National Art Gallery. Although unable to give an estimate of the total cost, he said the project would require some “outside” funding.

“We have begun the process but we are also seeking some assistance from outside donors so that we can modernize it more than what was anticipated in the first concept of it,” he said.

“We are actually having discussions with some people at this time, but we don’t want to go to people cap in hand to do this project. So we have started the process of doing what we can do and then we will let those persons who are looking to donate and come on board to help, finish it,” he explained.

The Culture Minister has given the assurance that the architecture of the building will be preserved.

A section of the Old Town Hall Building in Cheapside, Bridgetown is to also be used as additional exhibition space. (MM)