Municipal officials are holding off on making any decisions on the future of a collaborative art gallery in downtown Chatham.
A report presented to council earlier this week suggested moving ARTspace to the Chatham Cultural Centre as early as this June.
With the Chatham-Kent Museum moving to the new Community Hub once the King Street West building is complete, officials are mulling over their options for extra space at the Cultural Centre.
Municipal officials say moving ARTspace would allow artist members to leverage the supports, services and foot traffic at the Cultural Centre. There is also the possibility of integrating aspects of ARTspace within the Community Hub, including a display of members’ work and some pieces available for purchase in the museum gift shop.
The motion was deferred, with Councillors Anthony Ceccacci and Allyson Storey suggesting there be further consultation and feedback from the public.
“We did receive some feedback from the community that perhaps there was an opportunity to provide some more chances for art stakeholders to provide their feedback on this,” said Storey.
“I think the community would appreciate the chance to learn more about this proposal and provide their feedback.”
The motion proposed funding the relocation of ARTspace through the existing operational budget and with the plan to provide artists with increased access to supports, services, and foot traffic within the centralized cultural hub.
Council also deferred the procurement of consulting services to undertake a conceptual review and develop cost estimates for potential future renovations to the CCC. This would include exploring opportunities to repurpose approximately 8,700 square feet of space once the museum moves to the Community Hub.
The consulting work, if approved at a later date, would be funded through a $100,000 transfer from the Strategic Development Reserve.
Audrey Ansell, Chatham-Kent’s Director of Community, Culture and Connections, is looking at early May to pull stakeholders together and have a conversation on the topic.
