The New Art Gallery Walsall by Caruso St John
Two weeks ago, Walsall council warned that it may close Walsall’s New Art Gallery by Caruso St John. The announcement came just a fortnight after the practice won the 2016 Stirling Prize.
The New Art Gallery Walsall by Caruso St John.
Walsall Council members face a stark challenge; the council needs to save £86 million over the remaining three and half years of the current decade. Currently, the financial commitment to the New Art Gallery is £900,000 per annum. Clearly, closure of the Gallery would represent a substantial saving, but nowhere near the order required. In the era of austerity measures the application of checks and balances are vital, and I strongly feel that the consequential losses the closure would bring do not balance its closure.
I visited Walsall’s New Art Gallery in July, almost as soon as I could take leave after term’s end. The gallery architect, Caruso St John were at that moment yet to win the 2016 RIBA Stirling Prize [for the wonderful Newport Street Gallery]; I simply thought of the practice as very, very good. I hold sincere admiration for their method, approach, and for each and every one of their projects, and I am fortunate to count their former Project Architect, Tim Collett as a friend and a teaching colleague at the University of Nottingham.
The presence, orientation and choreography of the scheme creates a sense of place in the heart of Walsall; the material palette, sympathetic and rich detailing imbues the artefact of the building with a haptic, crafted quality. The building embodies the concerns of David Pye in The Art and Craft of Workmanship, his challenge to consider material, and to employ diverse workmanship from the macro composition of the elevation to the micro assembly of the handrail.
The architect’s triumph is in creating a series of sublime, incredibly varied, well proportioned, and stunningly well lit spaces for the display, and the enjoyment of art work. Greg Pitcher referred to the Gallery as seminal in the Architect’s Journal, and it is indeed; visiting the building is an uplifting experience.
The losses which would be brought by closure of the New Art Gallery to local businesses can be easily quantified and predicted. Typically a visitor might spend an hour, perhaps two at the Gallery; certainly long enough to develop thirst, hunger, or the need to take a walk and reflect on the visit. Many visitors extend their trip to Walsall by at least the length of time it takes to enjoy a cup of coffee. Some stay longer, perhaps long enough to take a walk, to learn a little of Walsall, during which they may make a discovery, connection, or promise to return. The losses to the civic community on these terms may seem at first speculative, or tangential, but which I fear will challenge the success in placemaking brought by the project; the social, cultural and civic connections made by the scheme, and the pride brought with it. The New Art Gallery is a special organisation, forming a compelling part of Walsall’s built environment and civic realm.
