The gallery faces due north, meaning it gets the light that works best for artists and their artwork
isn’t just about improvements in the urban environment, it’s about engendering civic pride. On the opening weekend, there was a palpable sense of excitement and joy that something was happening here, that Margate had turned a corner.” Nor does this enthusiasm appear to be dying down. The gallery attracted 100,000 visitors in the fi rst six weeks of opening – almost a third of its fi rst annual forecast of 156,000. Of these, 24 per cent came from Margate and a further 24 per cent from the wider Thanet area, and 80 per cent of visi- tors said they’re very likely to return. Pomery knows there are challenges ahead, not least due to the current climate
AM 3 2011 ©cybertrek 2011
of cuts. The running costs of the gallery are around £2.2m (2.5m, $3.6m) a year, of which 85 per cent is being provided by KCC and Arts Council England, with the remainder to be raised by the Turner Contemporary Trust and the gallery itself. “It’s our job – mine, the staff’s and the trus- tees’ – to make sure we’re sustainable, and we’re thinking of ways to be more entre- preneurial,” says Pomery. “Some of the spaces have been designed to be used not only for lectures and musical events, but also for corporate events, weddings and parties, so that’s what we’d like to do.” The other challenge is making sure the quality of the art remains consistently high,
so the visitors keep coming – and coming back. Rodin’s The Kiss, on loan from the Tate, will be installed at the gallery from October this year until September 2012, and there’s a detailed programme in place through to the end of 2013 – after that, Pomery admits, it still needs work. She’s in no doubt, however, that it’s
worth the effort. “I think it’s amazing what’s been achieved in this community,” she says. “Margate is an absolutely magical place, it’s got so much potential, and it’s so tragic what’s happened to it over time… it’s such a delight that people are really enjoying this gallery, and if it can change things in a small way, I’m thrilled.” ●
Read Attractions Management online
attractionsmanagement.com/digital 81
PHOTO RICHARD BRYANT/ARCAID IMAGES
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