GB: Abandoned IKEA Building to Become New Art Collections Centre in Coventry
Since the Swedish furniture manufacturer IKEA had left its city centre location in Coventry in March last year, the Coventry City Council has been discussing a possible re-use of the vacant building. Councillors of the Coventry Council Cabinet and Full Council will vote on the development of the ”Collections Centre“, which is supposed to become a new home for national art, next week. The project is a collaboration between Coventry City of Culture Trust, Art Council England, Culture Coventry Trust and Coventry University. The multi-million pounds project will provide a new venue for Coventry’s art collections and will improve the public access as the two previous collections have reached full capacity.
Councillor David Welsh, Coventry City Council’s Cabinet Member for Housing and Communities which covers culture and arts, says: “A national Collections Centre would bring together the foremost national arts and cultural partners and their respective national collections alongside the city’s collections, to create a consolidated national base that would be at the heart of Coventry city centre.“
Darren Henley, Chief Executive of Arts Council England, sees a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” in the development of the centre: “The new facility would ensure that we not only position our current Collection securely in the heart of this country but also enable work with partners to continue supporting living artists, create increased opportunities for students to research our unique collection and, most important, ensure these works reach more people in more places around the country.“
Deborah Smith, Director of Arts Council Collection, adds: “Arts Council Collection is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year and our strategy is to explore new public programming opportunities to present and support the work in our collection.“ (eap)
