The Fat Lady's Singing

It looks like Darlington Arts Centre will finally close next summer following Darlington Borough Council's latest proposal to withdraw all subsidies for the building.

In Autumn 2010, the Council initially proposed cutting all their funding for the centre and the building was due to close in Spring 2011. Fortunately, for the current financial year they were able to find enough cash to keep the centre open. This allowed talks with Darlington For Culture (DfC) to proceed with a view to them taking over the running of the centre in 2012.

Despite the past year being only a temporary reprieve, DfC claim they are "shocked" by the latest closure announcement and have vowed to continue the battle to save the building. But their plan relies largely on continued funding from the Council which, as we pointed out in our post in November 2010, seems quite unrealistic given the current financial climate. In addition, the building is in need of substantial investment to make it more practical and many people believe that some of the facilities are less than ideal for the arts activities taking place there.

Over the past few months, DfC have been running some additional events to demonstrate how they might operate the centre. They have had some success in bringing together ideas and helping to put them into practice. We enjoyed visiting their busy arts fairs, held in September and last weekend. The film club, quiz nights, tea dances, expanded writing classes and knitting group are other innovative activities that make more use of the building, even if they are not all directly related to art.

Sadly, this doesn't appear to have been enough to secure the survival of the centre. What is actually needed is replacement funding, raised by DfC or other organisations. DfC say they need more time to gain experience of running the centre and raise money. But direct fund-raising doesn't seem to be a priority yet.

In order for DfC to save the current Arts Centre, they will need to put up the cash, make the Council an offer it can't refuse and get stuck in. We're not sure how they can do this so they need a Plan B, an alternative way forward that ensures that the arts survive and thrive in the town.

The Council and other organisations are already considering elements that could form a Plan B. The recently produced Vision for the Arts in Darlington suggests that a new "hub" for the arts could be built in the town centre.

There would be many benefits from a new centre: cash raised from selling the old building should go towards the new one, it will be in a more prominent and convenient location, the facilities will be more practical and up to date, there will be improved accessibility, better parking and it will give a greater return on the investment made.

Of course, at this early stage there are still a few issues to be ironed out: lack of specifics about what facilities would be included, more detailed costs, no funding yet in place, how the funds will be raised and an unclear timetable.

We are very keen to see the arts survive in the town, but the existing Arts Centre does not look like the best option, both practically and financially. What little money there is needs to be invested in a future for the arts that is more sustainable and better value for money than at present. The suggested new arts "hub" looks like a reasonable solution and a plan that we would be likely to support.

The end is in sight for the Arts Centre in Vane Terrace. If DfC continue to focus on what they already do well - co-ordinating events - and also engage with plans for a new venue and help to influence its development, the arts in Darlington may yet survive the difficult times ahead.

Vicky And Vince,

Love Your Art.

ps. If you want to read our previous posts relating to Darlington Arts Centre, they are here:

Suffer Not In Silence, November 2010

Arts Centre Update, January 2011

Arts Centre Update 2, April 2011

Darlington Art Fair, September 2011

Art Or Craft?

The other evening we got chatting about the difference between art and craft. This is an age-old argument and doesn't seem to be getting any closer to being resolved.

Art is often given higher status than craft which perhaps is a bit unfair. Even the simplest craft work needs a level of skill that could be described as artistic. And works of art have to be created with manual skills that might more commonly be used to create craft type objects.

Pieces of art are more often one-off works, personal expressions of the artist's feelings and perhaps having some investment value; crafts are normally duplicated (sometimes with small variations), are lower cost and each object is what it is, without any higher meaning or purpose.

Crafts might often be produced at the maker's home, without the need for dedicated space whereas art is more likely to need a studio to separate the activity from everyday living.

After a long and interesting discussion we realised that it was getting late and had to come to some conclusion. We settled on describing everything as artistic.

This helps us to justify some of the objects we have in our art collections. A few of these items could be described as craft objects but using the general term "artistic", we are able to group together all the things we like, regardless of any alternative views.

Take Alistair (Why Alistair?) from our ceramic sheep collection (top picture) as an example. There are a number of these sheep in existence but being hand made, all are uniquely individual. Some people would regard these as craft objects. If we apply our artistic label, focussing on the artist's skill and the individuality of each one, we would definitely consider this a work of art.

Or what about this embroidered coaster (lower picture). It is likely to have been produced from a pre-supplied pattern, suggesting it would be categorised as crafts. But the high level of needlework skill along with the flexibility of the pattern and choice of colours suggest that an artistic ability is needed to create it.

Both of these items are collectible. Both have aesthetic value. Both are worthy of the term "artistic".

Vicky And Vince,

Love Your Art.

Hidden Treasures

You may have read recently about the Zurbarán paintings at Auckland Castle being sold off by their owner, the Church Commissioners. Concern over losing these historical pictures caused an outcry and led to campaigns across the region to prevent the sale. Fortunately, in March, a generous donation of £15 million was received from a City investment manager, Jonathan Ruffer, and the paintings are no longer under threat.

Tucked away in a quiet corner of County Durham, the pictures do not get the exposure of more famous works exhibited in London and other large cities. So what are the paintings like? And are they really worth £15 million? I decided to pay a visit to Auckland Castle over Easter to see them for myself.

The series of paintings is commonly referred to as the Zurburáns although the official name of the group is "Jacob and his Twelve Sons". The picture of Benjamin is actually a copy made by Arthur Pond of the Zurburán original which hangs in Grimsthorpe Castle, Lincolnshire.

On entering the Long Dining Room you are immediately confronted with the huge, larger-than-life, 8ft high portraits. There are thirteen portraits in all, one each of Jacob and his 12 sons. Zurbarán based his portraits on the Book of Genesis in the Old Testament and uses the descriptions of the sons to create recognisable figures. Some are obvious: Judah is depicted as a king wearing a crown and robes, and holding a sceptre; Asher is shown as a farmer carrying loaves of bread.

The portraits are dramatic, the ones showing Jacob, Judah, Zebulun, Dan, Gad, Joseph and Bejamin are full of rich reds, greens and gold in their clothing. Issachar is dressed more humbly in a plain green smock working on the land. Simeon is clad in animal skins and his uncivilised vengefulness is hinted at by the sword and the stick he is carrying.

These are an unusual group of religious paintings and it is fitting that they hang in Auckland Castle, the seat of the Bishop of Durham. I'm not sure I would pay £15 million for them but now they have been saved, I hope that many more people will be able to come and see the Zurburáns in the future. These have been hidden treasures for too long and deserve a wider audience. 

Vicky,
Love Your Art.

Arts Centre Update 2

Darlington Borough Council, having re-arranged the existing activities at Darlington Arts Centre to run on fewer days, have made the Arts Centre available to Darlington for Culture (DfC) on Monday and Tuesday evenings to run their own programme of events. These would be additional activities, expanding the use of the centre.

Ideas for what to do will largely come from supporters of DfC and at a meeting on 31st March a number of people outlined the ideas they had. They were then hit with a "single whammy" - they must plan and organise their event themselves. This may be a great way to get people more involved in supporting DfC's campaign to save the Arts Centre but it seems like a case of being dropped into the "Big Society" deep end.

It also stopped us putting forward a few vague ideas we have because:

a) we don't know enough about the facilities to work out if an idea is possible
b) we don't know how to assess the overall feasibility of each idea
c) we don't have a broad enough range of skills or experience to take on a broad range of ideas
d) we don't know how to develop the ideas into fully formed proposals
e) we don't have the time to research all the above and work out how the ideas could be implemented
f) we're not in a position to underwrite them financially
g) we can't run three or four ideas on our own

Perhaps a better alternative may be for the steering committee to take each of these ideas, decide how workable it is then organise a small team of people, including the person who suggested it, to plan and implement the idea. This would combine the innovative ideas with the experience and support of others. It could also protect DfC from running unsustainable activities and may also lead to other ideas being considered.

We are hoping to attend the next meeting on Thursday when more details of the programme up to March 2012 will be discussed. But we suspect that our ideas will stay on scraps of paper for now.

Another development coming up in May is that Darlington For Culture are to officially become a Community Benefit Society, a type of co-operative. This approach is more democratic than alternative structures such as the Community Interest Company originally mooted and means that groups and individuals with an interest in the arts can be more directly involved.

This poses an interesting challenge for us: should we become members of this organisation to show our support for the arts in the town? We have discussed this at length between ourselves, debating the pros and cons, trying to predict the future and looking out for alternative proposals that may interfere with DfC's plans. We haven't convinced ourselves either way yet. Here are some of the issues we have considered.

Pros: If DfC take over the running of the Arts Centre it would continue to be used for all its current activities and probably more; DfC's democratic structure would be good for the arts community and should help with funding applications; the cultural parliament meetings that DfC have already been holding helps to direct and validate arts activities in the town.

Cons: Running or expanding the arts centre will be a mammoth task and could be overwhelming; there is no guarantee that DfC will be allowed take control in the future; as a group they have no track record of running such a complex organisation (although the individual experience of the people involved would help); will DfC be able to attract the substantial funding necessary and co-ordinate the resources when Darlington Council finally withdraw all their financial support?

The opportunity for running activities on Monday and Tuesday evenings will allow DfC to begin to show what they are capable of doing. Perhaps we should wait until this is under way before we make our final decision.

Vicky and Vince,
Love Your Art.

Arts Centre Update

We are pleased to hear that Darlington Arts Centre has been given a temporary reprieve from closure.

Unable to maintain their financial support due to the Government cuts, Darlington Borough Council had proposed the closure of both the local theatre and the arts centre. Now, following discussions with various interested groups, the Council have decided to try to sell off the Civic Theatre as a going concern. They will also be able to provide partial funding of the Arts Centre for another year, allowing other groups the time to properly organize themselves and take over the running of the centre by April 2012.

Last Thursday we attended Darlington For Culture's latest meeting where the new proposals had created a more optimistic mood. The council also propose creating an Arts and Culture vision for the town to give a clear and co-ordinated focus to whatever facilities and services will be provided in the coming years.

All interested parties would be involved in creating the new vision and as the seventy or so people attending the meeting fell into this category, we made a start. Tables, paper and pens were set up for four categories: people/service users, artists/producers, venues and education. We wracked our brains, discussed and debated, and scribbled down ideas about what we would like to see provided over the next ten years or so. After about half an hour, several sheets of A1-sized paper were filled with people's thoughts and comments. We look forward to seeing the summary of these ideas and the ultimate vision that, hopefully, they will influence.

It is not yet clear how the Arts Centre will operate during the transition year and whether there will be any reduction in services provided. From Darlington For Culture's point of view there is still a huge challenge ahead to retain the Arts Centre and the cultural activities that take place there. The group's steering committee will have their work cut out for them over the coming months.

Vicky and Vince,
Love Your Art

Art? Passive?

I was chatting to a friend yesterday about our blog and how interesting it is to be getting more and more involved in art activities. She was only half listening, nodding politely from time to time. When I paused, giving her a chance to make a comment, she said, "That's all very nice but art's a bit passive for me."

Passive! Passive! I couldn't believe my ears!

Perhaps a stroll round a gallery casually looking at the pictures to pass the time of day is passive. But beyond that you will find that art is an exciting, dynamic and sociable activity. Vicky and I can spend whole evenings talking about art in general as well as discussing the concepts and merits of pictures or objects we have bought. It's fascinating to explore what the artist is trying to achieve with their work and what it all means.

And when you start chatting with the artists themselves there is so much to learn about their inspiration and the techniques they use. It's great listening to their stories about life as an artist, the places, people and art they have encountered.

Then, of course, there are the endless exhibitions, galleries, open studios and outdoor sculptures to visit. Sometimes it's difficult to choose what to do with our time, there's just so much going on.

My friend was now listening intently. "It sounds like lots of fun the way you explain it," she said, "but you must be exhausted all the time."

Well, maybe not quite exhausted but we really do enjoy the varied and stimulating world of (not so passive) art.


Vince,
Love Your Art

Suffer Not In Silence

If you'd gone along to Darlington Arts Centre last Thursday evening, you may have struggled to get in the building; there were hundreds of people milling around. Some had come to visit the centre's own theatre, some to learn how to paint or make jewellery, some to see Halima Cassell's ceramics exhibition preview, some simply to have a drink and a chat with friends in the Lounge and some to attend the Darlington For Culture meeting.

This is a thriving centre of culture, entertainment and social activities. Sadly it may close next year due to Government spending cutbacks. We joined the latter group of visitors to hear about an initiative that may avoid the closure of the building and retain the range of popular arts activities in the town.

Last month Darlington Borough Council announced their worst-case scenario for cutting £22m from their total budget. This included withdrawing their generous (compared to other, much larger, councils) funding for both the Civic Theatre and the Arts Centre, leading to their likely closure. Darlington For Culture was quickly set up with the intention of maintaining the services provided through alternative support from other funding bodies, the centre users and the community at large.

The meeting, chaired by Paul Harman who has extensive experience especially in the performing arts, covered three main points; the discussions that had taken place with the Council so far; a proposal to set up a Community Interest Company to take over the operation of the building and an idea for a "cultural parliament" where issues and the needs of the community could be discussed openly and acted upon. The meeting was attended by members from the clubs and groups based at the centre, representatives from the council, staff and users of the centre and also concerned members of the public.

The general feeling from the audience was that losing a facility like the arts centre would be a significant loss to Darlington as a whole, not just the regular users. It was pointed out that the arts centre served a regional community and perhaps additional support could be obtained from further afield. Several people urged co-operation with the council and other bodies rather than trying to go it alone.

A number of related ideas, some more realistic than others, were put forward. But we're not sure that the suggestion to ask the council to do a U-turn and leave the funding in place would be very successful, considering the pressure they will be under to make substantial savings across their budget.

As you might expect, there was some political posturing by a few people in the room. However their mischievous interruptions were greatly outnumbered by the concerns and support from the majority of the day-to-day users of the centre.

At the end of the meeting a vote was taken on whether individuals would pledge £10 each to buy a share in the company. The vast majority raised their hands, moving the process another step forward.

Whether or not Darlington For Culture will become part of a solution is still uncertain. There may not be sufficient support or time to make the necessary arrangements. What is certain is that without a determined push to find a solution, it is likely that Darlington Arts Centre will close next year.

Love Your Art,
Vicky and Vince

Two Different Worlds

Several events over recent weeks have prompted us to think about how the art world goes about showing and selling art. It seems there are two main styles - formal and informal.

In previous posts we have written about Gallerina and their friendly, relaxed approach, the open-plan exhibitions at Richmond Station where you can browse at leisure all day long if you want and the Matombo sculpture displays with their "have a go yourself" feature.

These ways of seeing and buying art are easy, enjoyable and fun.

On the other hand, some of the commercial galleries we have visited have made us feel quite uncomfortable, even nervous, as though we don't belong to their exclusive art-set.

We went into such a gallery a few weeks ago. The walls were plain, cold white. The pictures and ceramics were displayed in neat, rigid rows, with official looking descriptions, equally neatly aligned next to them.

The owner was just as rigid and predictable. He hovered in the background looking almost like one of his works of art (perhaps a self-installation?). We were "allowed" to wander round the displays. But when we stopped at a picture, he pounced and gave us a lengthy lecture about the artist's life and the concepts behind this amazing work of art. Oh, and he owned a collection of works by that artist too.

We rapidly worked our way back to the door and left the gallery dazed by the intense experience. Time for a coffee and large slice of cake to wind down!

Like most people, we are interested in art for the pleasure it gives us. We can admire the skills of the artists and collect the works we find attractive. We want to enjoy the experience. Gallery owners and curators can help us to learn about the art we are interested in, help us to choose which pieces of art to buy and put us at ease. If we are comfortable and relaxed, we might even spend more money than we ought to.


Love Your Art,
Vicky and Vince

Buy Me!

"That looks unusual", said Vicky, pointing to a rather strange looking picture cowering in a corner, half hidden by a rack of ladies jackets. Vince pushed the jackets aside to the annoyance of a little old lady who was rummaging through them. He rapidly scanned the piece, making disdainful grunts as he digested the brown colouring and the angular lines of the landscape.

"It looks a bit dull," he suggested. Then he noticed the markings along the bottom edge. "Ah, it's a signed, limited edition. Look 4 of 36, Souel - Vines, D M Patterson. It might be worth a bit!" So we bought it because of its unusual style and the fact that it was a limited edition.

That happened on Saturday. On Sunday we cleaned the picture up and and tried to find a suitable location for it. We failed completely! It didn't hang happily on any of our walls. Perhaps it was the harsh, jagged angles of the brush strokes, the monochrome brown colouring or the wholly inappropriate lime-washed grey frame it was in. Our interest in the picture rapidly turned to disappointment. Now, the only reason we had to keep it was if it had some value.

We spent several hours discussing how much it may be worth as a piece of serious art. A thorough search on the Internet revealed nothing about the picture or the artist. Vince claimed that its unique and distinctive style, and the fact that the artist thought that it was worth producing a limited edition, suggests that it did have some value above a basic print. Vicky argued that the frame reduced its value significantly and the dull, jagged lines of the landscape would appeal to only a very few art lovers. Our conclusion was that if we sold it, we would be unlikely to be able to retire to the Caribbean.

We both regret this impulse buy. Were our expectations too high? Are we becoming over-confident and buying without thinking things through first? Whatever went wrong, we are now left with an unloved, unwanted picture. eBay here we come!

Love Your Art,
Vicky and Vince

Whodunnit?

It wasn't us officer, honest.

Last week a thief broke into the Musée d'Art Moderne across from the Eiffel Tower in Paris and stole paintings by Picasso, Braque, Matisse, Léger and Modigliani worth a reported £85 million. Apparently, the thief simply cut through a padlock, broke a window and was free to roam around the gallery at leisure. The alarm failed to go off and motion sensors were out of order. Three night security guards noticed nothing on their CCTV system.

Of course, art theft is nothing new. The Mona Lisa disappeared from the Louvre in 1911 and Munch's The Scream was snatched in Oslo in 2004. Both paintings were recovered after a couple of years. And there are many other cases of famous art works being stolen.

The latest theft again raises the question of whether works of art are well enough protected. If famous paintings and sculptures are valued at millions of pounds then the galleries and museums must provide and maintain adequate security. But what about works that are privately owned, how can individuals afford the necessary levels of security to protect such valuable items? Or maybe some of these works are not really as valuable as the are made out to be and don't warrant such high security.

In any case, those who are responsible for looking after objects that have historical or commercial value, need to do as much as they can to protect them.


Love Your Art,
Vicky and Vince

Is It Art? (Part 1)

In many shops these days you can find canvases and prints with little more than splashes of colour or swirly shapes. But are these items simply decorative, like wallpaper, or are they art. At the risk of outraging the art aficionados out there, I am going to illustrate this question by comparing a traditional oil painting to "Charity Splash", a typical example of these objects.

"The Corn Harvest" (left hand picture) was painted by Pieter Bruegel the Elder in 1565. It is currently displayed in New York at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (where it is referred to as The Harvesters). Its place in art history has been well established over the years and I doubt that anyone would argue about whether it is truly art. But what about "Charity Splash" (right hand picture), an anonymous square foot of canvas found at the bottom of a box in a charity shop? Can we reasonably (or unreasonably) describe it as art?

I think it is art. Why? Well, somebody must have created the original, and presumably that person was an artist. Their intention was surely to create something artistic regardless of its ultimate purpose. The picture's abstract style does not stop it from being described as art. Abstract art has been around for over one hundred years and is a recognised art form. I would also argue that it is probably more artistic than some of the piles of rubbish presented as art nowadays!

So, although "Charity Splash" and similar items are used mainly for decorative purposes, they are definitely art.

Love Your Art,
Vince

How To Ruin A Perfect Picture

Last month we bought a lovely picture from a charity shop. It showed a couple of rowing boats lying beside water (not sure if it was a lake or sea inlet). The subject, style and colours made it perfect for our kitchen. It just needed a more substantial frame with a mount to display it to best effect.

When we finally got round to taking the picture out of its ugly frame we discovered that the painting itself (apparently an original in oil) was stuck to the glass around the edges. What could we do now?

Hoping for a simple solution, we checked a web forum, spoke to a local framer, and consulted a professional restoration company. The advice we got ranged from heating the glass with a hair dryer to smashing the glass and removing the pieces one by one (don't try that at home). In the end we warmed the glass against a radiator which helped loosen it a little in some areas.

But the picture and the glass were still firmly stuck together. A final attempt at parting them with a thin knife blade only separated bits of the the paint from the board it was painted on. So we decided to leave them joined, rather than risk further damage.

We still aren't sure exactly what to do but will probably get a frame made to fit the glass and not bother with a mount. Meanwhile the lovely boats are still in their horrible frame. We'll let you know how we get on.

Love Your Art,
Vince