I was interested to read in the Wimbledon Guardian last week about the reopened village hall trust gallery in Lingfield Road, and the efforts of its instigator Norman Plastow, to campaign for the preservation of community spaces in the borough.
At the same time, my society, Merton Art Society (which is 50 years old), was dismayed to be told by the Council Libraries Dept. that the Wimbledon Library gallery will no longer be available for local artists like ourselves to exhibit there. We have exhibited twice yearly at this venue for many, many years as it is so central and accessible to the public.
I believe it is now let to a language school facility (the identity of the new user was withheld from me on privacy grounds despite the fact that is a ratepayer- funded facility and I am a Merton ratepayer).
I was told that the gallery is underused and does not pay – that there have only been 8 bookings over an 18 month period. I can think of at least 10 people/organisations which have booked in this period, and that is only the ones we know about. There always seems to be an exhibition of some sort going on there. And we pay for the space. We are told we can use libraries elsewhere, none of which have gallery facilities or are central to us.
Serious consideration should be given by the council to weigh the enhanced rental for this space against the benefits to Merton residents all round of such a public space to be used by local organisations.
Merton Council frequently lauds ‘the community’, but when said community gets in the way of generating greater, private income, it loses out.
It is easy to dismiss intangibles which our Merton Art Society for instance provides: local, involving and stimulating activity for all comers at a very small fee, with the bonus and motivation of exhibiting our work in a central public space. And it is so easy to squeeze us out! There is no other comparable space for us as Lingfield is too small.
Merton Council should be encouraging us as a great service to the community, not chocking off an important (and cheap) avenue of local expression. Come on Merton Libraries- show some appreciation for our society and other artists. Let us preserve this community display space.
Marcelle Burton, via email
- Send your letters to: letters@wimbledonguardian.co.uk
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