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Arts boss: Shape up and keep Kube open (From Dorset Echo)
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Arts boss: Shape up and keep Kube open
9:00am Saturday 12th December 2009
AN arts chief has branded the loss of the “international standard” Kube gallery “galling” and “unbelievable” and is calling for it to be saved.
Elspeth McBain, chief executive of Poole’s Lighthouse arts centre, has spoken out following the news that Bournemouth and Poole College’s iconic contemporary art gallery off North Road is to close at the end of January after the college withdrew funding.
She called it a “very important” gallery for the region, which had had “significant support” from the Arts Council.
“For all that to be lost is quite unbelievable,” she added.
Kube, formerly the Study Gallery, is the only big visual arts space between Southampton and the Tate gallery in St Ives, Cornwall. It has had its busiest time ever since re-launching in April.
“They have brought in so many fantastic initiatives,” added Mrs McBain. “That’s why it’s so galling they haven’t been given any additional time to develop those ideas.”
She called for businesses, sponsors and the arts community to be “galvanised” to find a solution.
“The whole life and flavour of the region is actually defined by the cultural offering. If it starts being knocked off one by one what are we going to be left with?
“It really is quite extraordinary that something so significant can be lost just like that. We need to campaign hard to find an alternative space for it to keep going.”
She said discussions were already underway to transfer some of the Kube’s programme to the Lighthouse “to ensure that there is contemporary art of a national and international standard still present in Poole.”
Bournemouth and Poole College principal and chief executive Lawrence Vincent confirmed they could no longer justify “financially supporting” the gallery with “government funding being tightened”
He said the college’s first priority was “to use our resources to support learners.”
Sibyl Fine King, chair of the board of directors of KUBE said she was “profoundly saddened” by the decision, and felt it would “remove one of the very few specialist visual arts buildings from the cultural fabric of Dorset.”
The £2.4million building is intended to be used as a state-of-the-art teaching zone.
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Your Say YourEcho
West Howe Sean, Bournemouth says...
10:13am Sat 12 Dec 09
The Echo have also extensively previewed and featured this jewel in our cultural crown.
snorki, bmth says...
10:15am Sat 12 Dec 09
to the person above Quote. So It comes as a shock that this exists at all..sadly you obviously arent interested enough in the arts to care!
twobigdogs, poole says...
11:44am Sat 12 Dec 09
West Howe Sean, Bournemouth says...
11:53am Sat 12 Dec 09
twobigdogs wrote:If the Kube is lost we all lose - the whole community will be impoverished by the loss of an all to rare local arts space.
Im local and have never heard of it!So no loss to me if it goes.
Dorset has for far too long been a cultural wilderness.
snorki, bmth says...
11:57am Sat 12 Dec 09
what a pointless post
michaelbarfield, branksome park says...
12:32pm Sat 12 Dec 09
twobigdogs, poole says...
3:23pm Sat 12 Dec 09
snorki wrote:First off.......its "twobigdogs"...... and why do you think my post pointless?
(Two blogs) what a pointless post
Am I not allowed an opinion?
Or do we all have to agree with you!
gerbil112, Poole says...
3:59pm Sat 12 Dec 09
To "michaelbarfield", if is it visible from the road, is it signposted like other attractions in Poole? Or is it primarily a part of the College Campus and only really know to students and those in the Arts World?
Also, if it has been funded up until now by the College, surely it is time to seek more money from the Arts Council, or National Lottery Grant if indeed it is such a valuable asset to the arts world generally, not just a place for Arts Students to show off their efforts.
Very Old Man, Poole says...
4:32pm Sat 12 Dec 09
twobigdogs wrote:Sounds like you have got a High Horse as well as two big dogs!
snorki wrote: (Two blogs) what a pointless postFirst off.......its "twobigdogs"...... and why do you think my post pointless? Am I not allowed an opinion? Or do we all have to agree with you!
snorki, bmth says...
4:49pm Sat 12 Dec 09
Im local and have never heard of it!So no loss to me if it goes.
does this quote serve as good constructive critism or even a valid discussion point.. no i dont think so...
an obvious uneducated remark.. id get your coat if i was you...
Very Old Man, Poole says...
6:35pm Sat 12 Dec 09
snorki wrote:Very well put snorki,
well...two small bloggs or whatever u are...tell me this....Quote.. Im local and have never heard of it!So no loss to me if it goes. does this quote serve as good constructive critism or even a valid discussion point.. no i dont think so... an obvious uneducated remark.. id get your coat if i was you...
What our canine owning friend fails to realise is that he has, in fact, been able to express his opinion-this is what this 'comments' facility is for. It perhaps did not occur to him that having made his opinion known he may then be called upon to qualify his logic in arriving at that opinion-such is the responsibility of those who wish to take advantage of a public platform in order to air their views. Instead, alas, when he found himself the subject of reproof for his words he took the refuge of a scoundrel and proceeded to throw his toys out of the pram.
No doubt his dogs will be a great comfort to him in the days ahead.
FlamingCarbuncle, Southbourne says...
9:53am Sun 13 Dec 09
twobigdogs wrote:I'm local, have neve heard of twobigdogs and have absolutely no interest in what he has to say!
Im local and have never heard of it!So no loss to me if it goes.
chatsworth, bournemouth says...
12:09pm Sun 13 Dec 09
i visit quite a few galleries and the Kube i feel is poorly managed/presented and to talk about its sole visual arts presence between Southampton and st ives is ridiculous.Exeter,fa
lmouth,Bideford art galleries to name only 3!!The other day i visited Kube to find at 14.35-Sorry shut for Staff Meeting-sorry but this is not a public gallery attitude,Compared with other galleries the Kube exhibition list is a dull and is not user friendly(Very much like the Lighthouse-nice venue badly managed!!)So yes keep the venue but get expert help-perhaps Southampton gallery could run it and exhibit some of their marvellous collection
twobigdogs, poole says...
2:38pm Sun 13 Dec 09
.that told me then!.............I love intelligent people..............
.
artegirl, dorchester says...
5:52pm Tue 15 Dec 09
chatsworth wrote:Of course you are entitled to your own opinion about the situation, but I would like to point out that when you visited the other day to find the gallery closed 'for a staff meeting' the staff were in fact called to a meeting about their impending future and had little choice but to close the gallery to the public whilst this took place.
Yet another Arts casulty however in this case i wonder about the Kube
i visit quite a few galleries and the Kube i feel is poorly managed/presented and to talk about its sole visual arts presence between Southampton and st ives is ridiculous.Exeter,fa
lmouth,Bideford art galleries to name only 3!!The other day i visited Kube to find at 14.35-Sorry shut for Staff Meeting-sorry but this is not a public gallery attitude,Compared with other galleries the Kube exhibition list is a dull and is not user friendly(Very much like the Lighthouse-nice venue badly managed!!)So yes keep the venue but get expert help-perhaps Southampton gallery could run it and exhibit some of their marvellous collection
Just thought it was worth mentioning, as perhaps is all the other late nights and weekends the staff volunteer to ensure the Gallery is open to the public, very 'public gallery attitude' I would say.
kathryn1, Wimborne says...
6:14pm Thu 17 Dec 09
But I do think it's hard for people to find the venue, even when you know roughly where it is. And as for its sister venue, Lighthouse, I've struggled to find out if there have been any art exhibitions there - they haven't been listed on the website, sometimes they're not included in brochures and an email enquiry went unanswered. Better publicity is definitely needed in future, otherwise why bother holding exhibitions at all?
As for using KUBE as 'a state-of-the-art teaching zone', what an utter waste of a fabulous building. What could The College possibly teach there that would utilise the exceptional layout of the building? For those who don't know it, the upper 3 floors have stairs running diagonally across the space, with a floor on one side and nothing on the other, so one half of the building is an open drop for 3-4 floors. There's not a lot of actual floor space, but as a gallery it's great because it's so dramatic and different. I really don't think The College should have it because it seems so unsuitable for teaching use: it would be a complete waste and very impractical.
Can't somebody save it? It's not as though we have a lot of art venues in Dorset. Everything seems to be closing.
tobydog, Swanage says...
6:03pm Mon 21 Dec 09
The Kube gallery has lost its funding and is set to close at the end of January
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wintonbusinessman, winton says...
9:33am Sat 12 Dec 09
So It comes as a shock that this exists at all. If this is so!!! important try charging money to use it. Then people can decide if its worth having at all