 |
| Turner Contemporary in Margate |
 | ||
Turner Contemporary in Margate
In response to a talk set to take place in early February at the Tate Modern entitled 'Art and Architecture: If you build it, will they come?' I thought it would be interesting to discuss the economical, social and urban challenges that faced the architects, curators and local residents of Margate, Kent when building the Turner Contemporary and in particular, the role of the director, Victoria Pomery.
The Turner Contemporary officially opened on the 16th April 2011 but it was a long process before the museum itself was officially established as a structure on the Margate seafront. It was in 1998 that the idea of the Turner Contemporary was proposed and in 2001 this idea became part of a plan to regenerate the neglected seaside town under the direct leadership of the newly appointed director, Victoria Pomery. Award-winning architect, David Chipperfield, was approached to design the gallery and from 2008 to 2011 work went underway to produce the breathtaking work of modernist architecture that stands within throwing distance of the old town.
I moved to Kent as an art history student in 2011 and have only known Margate since the Turner Contemporary was erected but you only need to talk to a few of the locals to understand the staggering affect the gallery has had economically on the town. The creative quarter of Margate, also known as the Old Town, has taken a bohemian reinvention. Spun off from the Turner, the cobbled streets of the creative quarter replicates the lanes of Brighton crammed with bijou, pop-up art galleries, vintage boutiques, quaint coffee shops and many other independent traders that make the area a thriving location for local artists and designers. The Turner Contemporary has been the catalyst for the reawakening of this once forgotten seaside town.
I have become interested in the role of women within the museum sector especially as the role of the director appears increasingly in the hands of powerful female figures. Turner Contemporary's Victoria Pomery is no exception and her dedication to the arts has recently awarded her an OBE. Pomery, after studying for an MA in History of Art, received her first paid curatorial position as assistant curator at the Mead Gallery at the University of Warwick. In 1997, she moved to Liverpool where she worked as the senior curator of Tate Liverpool on a range of exhibitions. Pomery, to date, has spent nearly twelve years leading and establishing the Turner Contemporary as an international renowned gallery. Pomery is a great advocate of the idea of art for everyone not just the elite. She believes that art should be about community involvement and education, something that is clearly apparent in the work she has done and continues to achieve at the Turner Contemporary. The arts have been shown to support regeneration, education, learning and play a huge role in sustaining both the individual and the community as a collective.
'Art and Architecture: If you build it, will they come?' at the Tate Modern will be chaired by design critic Alice Rawsthorn. It will see Jacques Herzog, the architect responsible for the building of the new Tate Modern extension, and Hal Foster, art critic and historian, discussing the future of design within the architecture of museums and galleries.
Tate Modern, Starr Auditorium
Monday 10th February, 19:00 - 20:30
'Making Painting: Helen Frankenthaler and J.M.W.Turner' is the current exhibition running at the Turner Contemporary in Margate, Kent until the 11th May.
|
No comments:
Post a Comment