Public statement: June 16, 2010

TEMPLE BAR GALLERY & STUDIOS: 2010 AND BEYOND

Temple Bar Gallery and Studios (TBG&S) was founded in 1983 and was one of the first cultural organisations rehoused by the Temple Bar Cultural Quarter regeneration. The organisation provides 30 purpose-built studios for Irish artists to develop their work, and a ground-floor gallery space for contemporary art. Many leading Irish and international artists have been showcased in this high-profile, well-regarded space since its inception.

In January 2010, TBG&S received a 35.5% reduction in support from the Arts Council, its major funder, which had itself received reduced funding from the Exchequer. The Arts Council’s grant offer prioritised artist studio provision. While fully appreciative of Arts Council support, the radically altered financial reality the organisation now found itself in required TBG&S to fundamentally re-examine itself, both to secure its immediate viability within financial constraints and to ensure its longer-term ability to carry out its core remit.

Since January, the organisation has faced and addressed critical challenges to reduce costs and refocus the organisation in line with this new financial reality, which will result in, among other difficult decisions, a restructured organisation with different and fewer staff roles. TBG&S’ concern is to ensure such restructuring is aligned to a focused vision, and it has worked to develop a viable long-term framework plan for the organisation, in consultation wth staff, the artist membership and stakeholders.

While the focus on studios in the grant offer is acknowledged, TBG&S does not underestimate the importance of its contemporary art gallery space and believes it is the dual function of studios combined with exhibition that is at the core of the organisation’s uniqueness and public value.

TBG&S’ long-term plan, which is currently being finalised, sets out to maintain an active gallery programme, which enables a coherent connection between gallery and studio functions while ensuring curatorial ambition and expertise. The organisation plans to do this in a way that will be financially sustainable within diminished resources, while concurrently developing its capacity to generate other financial resources to guarantee the continued success of this unique facility.

TBG&S gallery is currently closed between exhibitions. A new exhibition will open in July, details of which will be announced in the coming weeks.

For media information, contact: Annette Nugent :: annettenugent@iol.ie :: 086 6820971
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