Presenting the Petition to Save Swindon Museum and Art Gallery

 This Thursday there will be a full Council meeting in the Civic Offices at 7pm where one of the items on the agenda will be a consideration of the petition 'Save Swindon Museum and Art Gallery' which was signed by over 4000 people. A reminder of what we said when the petition was started:

'We support the call by the Friends of Swindon Museum and Art Gallery for the Swindon Collection of Modern British Art and the Museum Collections to be retained on show in Apsley House until they can be moved to a new home where they are on show to the public. 

We believe that the dispersal and mothballing of the collections would be highly damaging to Swindon’s bid for City status.

We reject the recommendations in the Cabinet Member Decision Note and call for a further report to be produced setting out all the options for the future of the collections and of Apsley House, for all funding opportunities to be investigated, and for a debate to be held in full Council  before any decisions are made'.

A further report was published setting out the options for the future of SMAG on 1 September, although there weren't any options; a reminder of what was in this second report can be seen by following this link:

https://ww5.swindon.gov.uk/moderngov/documents/b23936/Additional%20Papers%2008th-Sep-2021%2018.00%20Cabinet.pdf?T=9

http://friendsofsmag.blogspot.com/2021/09/cabinet-decision-on-8-september.html

Before the Scrutiny meeting we had a photo taken of the assembled people, and many came in to follow proceedings at the meeting on 13 September, they asked questions, and it seemed as though the council might be  persuaded that reopening Apsley House in the interim before the new cultural quarter is built, but they weren't. Here's the photo taken before the Scrutiny meeting:

 It would be great to have as many people as possible to come and support the reopening of Apsley House on Thursday evening. We are gathering at 6.40pm outside the Civic Offices, you don't need to come to the meeting, but it would be great if you could be there.

South Swindon Parish Council have submitted a proposal to reopen SMAG, here it is:

1. Introduction

To investigate the opportunity for South Swindon Parish Council (SSPC) to amalgamate the Old Town Library service with the museum and art gallery based in Apsley House

 

2.             Report Details

2.1 Swindon Borough Council (SBC) have articulated their desire to dispose of Apsley House as a Borough Council asset.

 

2.2 SBC have announced that the Museum and Art gallery provision will not reopen within Apsley House and had initially proposed placing artefacts, displays and artwork in storage until such time as a new facility is ready in the proposed cultural quarter, post 2028.

2.3 Robust public opposition to the SBC proposal has seen a policy repositioning with regards to the accessibility of artifacts, displays and artwork . SBC have articulated that the 1st floor of the Civic building may be an alternative temporary location, subject to a feasibility study and budgetary / elected member scrutiny.

2.4 SSPC is proposing that discussion commence with SBC to investigate the feasibility of:

 

• The Apsley House asset to be transferred to SSPC on a short term lease of between 7 and 10 years, The transfer to include £400K transitional fund currently reserved for Apsley House in order to complete current listed repairs and help maintain the building for the duration of the short term lease, with an option of an additional £100K based on survey results.
• SSPC incorporating the Old Town Library Provision into Apsley House, therefore increasing footfall, utilising current Library staff and providing a revenue saving to the Parish in vacating the current premises 

2.5 It is the stated aim of SSPC through this proposal to work towards ensuring that Swindon has a functioning Art Gallery and Museum accessible to the people of Swindon and visitors to our town, whilst the Borough Council moves forward with aspirations to build a cultural quarter that would include an improved Art Gallery and Museum facility.

2.6 SSPC would envisage that the Library provision is mainly housed in the two ground floor front rooms of Apsley House with strategic bookcase deployment, integrating book selection relevant to the exhibit subject matter. It should be noted that these rooms are currently not part of the museum display offering.

2.7 South Swindon Parish Council would be better placed to apply for grants through various channels to contribute to the running costs of the facility in the medium term.

2.8 It would be understood that the exhibits remain the property of Swindon Borough Council.

 

2.9 If consensus is achieved to move forward with the above proposal, the asset transfer would be subject to the completion of a full building survey and condition report.

2.10 SSPC and SBC should seek to include The Friends of Swindon Museum and Art Gallery in discussions 

3.             Proposal

  3.1 That the Parish Council resolves to inform SBC of an expression of interest from the Parish Council pertaining to the potential short term transfer of Apsley House for the purpose of re-opening the facility to the public at the earliest convenience

The Future of Swindon Museum and Art Gallery

 The Friends of Swindon Museum and Art Gallery are committed to the reopening of Apsley House in Bath Road as soon as possible, until a viable option for housing the museum and art collections can be found. Currently there are plans to build a Cultural Quarter on the Kimmerfields site near the railway station, but this may be 10-20 years hence. In the meantime, in a town with a population of at least 220k, and rising, to lose our museum and art gallery would be a significant loss to the town, and others who visited Swindon to see the collections.

There have been several articles in the Swindon Advertiser on the proposal not to reopen Apsley House,  put the collections in storage, and sell the building, since this was proposed at the end of June 2020. The latest article published today, commentis on the repairs needed to Apsley House: https://www.swindonadvertiser.co.uk/news/19544692.swindon-museum-art-gallery-repairs-no-obstacle-reopening-say-supporters/ 

I thought I'd have a look and find the last photographs taken in the gallery, they were taken at a lunchtime talk given by Katie Ackrill on 28 February 2020. They are a reminder of what a lovely facility we have in the 1960s extension to Apsley House which houses the art gallery, and of course the magnificent paintings, some of which were initially donated by Jimmy Bomford and many others purchased with the help of Richard Morphet who said the following about the proposed closure of the museum and art gallery:

 'Swindon's renowned collection of British art has been built steadily over many decades as a key resource for the people of the Borough and region. It is of great significance to many people and through its quality has developed a national reputation, works being requested regularly for loan to major exhibitions in Britain and overseas. The collection brings together fascinating works made by local artists over many years with art of international importance. Successive curators have displayed works from this rich collection in lively and thought-provoking groupings that provide enjoyment that is available to the whole community, benefiting its health and wellbeing. The need for increased display space has long been recognised. For the collection to be placed, instead, in storage of unknown duration would deprive both Swindon and visitors from further afield of a vital source of inspiration. I advised on Swindon's art acquisitions from 1966 to 2006. I would be deeply shocked were the collection to become inaccessible to the community for whose benefit it was built.'

If you haven't done so, please consider signing the petition to reopen Apsley House:

 https://www.change.org/SaveSwindonMuseumandArtGallery

Meanwhile some photos of the last lunchtime talk:

Katie Ackrill above talking about 'Presence on White' by William Gear

and here's 'Night Sky' by Jack Smith, one of the initial paintings donated by Jimmy Bomford in 1960, cleaned and restored with donations from the Friends.

A big favourite of many, Sir Terry Frost's 'Grey, Red and Black Verticals, 1962. A gift of the Contemporary Arts Society in 1976

And here 'Once' by Richard Smith purchased in 1972 with the Support of the V&A Purchase Grant

And here's what we really miss as well, being able to look at a painting and discuss it with a friend.

 https://www.change.org/SaveSwindonMuseumandArtGalleryhttps://www.change.org/SaveSwindonMuseumandArtGalleryhttps://www.change.org/SaveSwindonMuseumandArtGallery
https://www.change.org/SaveSwindonMuseumandArtGallery