The Model Arts and Niland Gallery


			The Mall, Sligo, Ireland T : +353 71 9141405 / F : +353 71 9143694 / info@modelart.ie


		Below is a collection of Frequently Asked Questions about The Model Arts and Niland Redevelopment. Simply click on any question below to be taken to the answer. Why is the Model redeveloping again? How much bigger will it be? How much will it cost to redevelop and extend the building? Where is the money coming from for this redevelopment? Who is designing it? (architects and plans page) Can we see the plans? (architects and plans page) What differences will there be? Will there still be a café? When will it close and re-open to the public? Who will use the Model? Will the programming at the Model change? What will the building do for Sligo? We love the Model as it is – why does it have to change? Will the new Model be as successful as the current Model? If your question is not here, please do not hesitate to contact Jean in the Model on +353 (0)71 9141405 for more information. email: jean@modelart.ie Why is the Model redeveloping again? The Redevelopment is being planned in the context of creating a brand new Cultural Quarter for Sligo which will include: The Model Arts and Niland Gallery Redevelopment, a new state of the art County Museum for Sligo, a new Civic Space and Commercial developments This development is led by Sligo County Council and is a combination of high-level cultural activity with commercial development. The development of the Cultural Quarter and the Model’s Redevelopment are part of an essential planned economic and cultural growth for Sligo, which is a visionary concept that will make a significant impact on the city and bravely identify the importance of culture and the arts here. The Model needs to take its place in the new Cultural Quarter, so that it can ensure a continued relevance and importance to the local area, and actively contribute to the cultural economy of the North West on a whole. Otherwise, it would be left out of the cultural quarter and therefore out of Sligo’s cultural loop. As the Model is a huge part of Sligo’s culture, being exluded from the quarter was not an option for the Model. The redevelopment of the Model School that took place in 2000 to form the existing Model Arts and Niland Gallery created a critically acclaimed fusion of the contemporary and the historical. The galleries, black box, restaurant, commercial hire facilities built as part of the redevelopment are of a high quality however compromises were necessary due to the restrictions of the site and the budget. The additional space provided for in this planned redevelopment will allow the Model to finally meet its full potential in terms of programming, and will also allow the Model generate increased sources of income due to the increased facilities. The building will finally be completed and allowed operate to its maximum potential to meet all its future ambitions. It is intended to have a lifespan of 50+ years. TOP How much bigger will it be? The building will be one third larger in size. TOP How much will it cost to redevelop and extend the building? Approximately €7 million. TOP Where is the money coming from for this redevelopment? The Model are working in partnership with the County Council to secure public funding for the project. In addition, the Model need to raise €1.5 million towards project costs - from corporate and private sources. The Model is seeking long-term partners to help shape its future and fund this redevelopment. There are two ways to support the development of this landmark cultural hub: 1) The Private Donors Programme and 2) The Corporate Partners Programme. Both programmes will allow donors and partners to become linked to the Model on a long-term basis and be acknowledged throughout the redevelopment. Click here for information on supporting the Model. TOP Who is designing it? Sheridan Woods Architects and Urban Planners. Click here to read about them. TOP Can we see the plans? Yes you can. Just click here to be brought to the architects and plans page. TOP What differences will there be? - the building will be one third larger in size - New entrance facing onto the pedestrianised Civic Space – this will be the future main entrance - Increased and improved Gallery space to create a gallery circuit on the first floor - A purpose built performance Black Box space with a high technical specification - 7 purpose built artists studios - 1 Artists’ residency studio for visiting artists - 1 music recording studio - A doubling of Education facilities which will allow for both practical and discussion/seminar/multimedia work - Additional storage space for the Niland Collection and temporary exhibitions - Better access to the 1st floor galleries due to the installation of a platform lift allowing 3m x 3m access for artworks - Increased opportunities for income generation: improved facilities for commercial hires and increased opportunities for office rental - New restaurant with a commercial kitchen TOP Will there still be a café? Yes, there will. The Redevelopment will turn the current reception area into the new ‘destination’ restaurant which will have a commercial kitchen and a capacity for 90 covers. The intention is for it to operate as a café during the day and a ‘destination’ restaurant at night. TOP When will it close and re-open to the public? The Model’s renovations will begin in JANUARY 2008. The Gallery will close during this period and reopen to the public in SPRING 2010. TOP Who will use the Model? Entrance to the Model will be free, as usual, and it will be a destination for visitors both local and from out of town, joining and enhancing the many renowned heritage and visitor attractions already in Sligo. Both National and international tourists will be attracted to the town and region by the landmark building and the strength of the programme going on within it. There will be two fully equipped education spaces for schoolchildren, students, teachers and researchers and adult learners. The building is designed to be family-friendly with plenty of space for prams and buggies. Local, national and international artists will create and show work in the new building. The local and regional business community will use the Model’s conference and meeting rooms. The 244 seater Black Box will accommodate film screenings, music events, readings and lectures and other forms of performance for a wide variety of audiences. The Model will be a great setting for a wide range of community hire, societies and specialist interest groups. The lunch and evening restaurant trade will respectively, continue and begin to, use the building. TOP Will the programming at the Model change? The Model will retain its style of programming. There will be very few changes, as the Model would like to retain its already well-established audience. New and stimulating ideas will be discussed during the closure period, and additional events may be added to the programme, but essentially the Model will still be the Model. What will happen the collection when the building is closed for renovations? The Collection will be stored in a climate controlled storage unit, away from the works being undertaken at the Model. TOP What will the building do for Sligo? The Model will generate internationally significant cultural activity that can be experienced by a regional audience and significantly raise the profile of the arts in the Northwest. The Northwest region attracted 489,000 overseas visitors in 2005 and from that 123,000 visited Sligo. These figures are steadily increasing, and will continue to increase as the infrastructure of the Northwest increases and facilities continue to develop. With the future Model’s development, it will become a compulsory stop off point for all such visitors to the area. Its new entrance will make it a central point of the Cultural Quarter thus making it a living connection with the established 'Old Sligo' of the Mall and the new optimistic Sligo centered around a 21st Century Civic Plaza. A Cultural Acropolis next to the Green Fort will make Sligo a city that marries its heritage with its future. As well, as providing the public with a rich programme of visual arts, music, film, comedy and education programme, The Niland Collection, aka Sligo’s Municipal Collection is also housed in the Model. Our Municipal Collection houses 47 Jack B. Yeats paintings, is second only in size to the National Gallery of Ireland and is of major national and international significance. We also have works from Barrie Cooke, Patrick Collins, Paul Henry, Norah McGuinness, Dorothy Cross and Clare Langan (to mention but a few), making it a collection that is comparable only with collections in Dublin, Limerick or Cork. TOP We love the Model as it is – why does it have to change? The Model has been given the opportunity 1) to finally attend to various building issues it has developed since its first redevelopment; 2) to finally complete the building and give it a lifespan of 50+years; 3) to grow with Sligo and become part of its incredible cultural future; and 4) to expand and enhance the Model’s facilities and therefore meet its future needs and the needs of its growing audiences. It would be unwise for the Model to turn down any of these opportunities. The magnificent enhancements it will undergo will give the Model an important existence and very strong presence in Sligo, for locals, visiting nationals and visiting non-nationals alike. TOP Will the Future Model be as successful as the current Model? Yes, the Future Model is guaranteed unlimited and consistent success. Upon completion, it will be a state-of–the-art destination, flagship, contemporary arts space that is in all its activities DYNAMIC, INNOVATIVE and INCLUSIVE, and it will have an artistic programme that will play a defining role in pushing forward Ireland’s cultural future. After the redevelopment, the Model will be an internationally significant flagship venue led by the visual arts with a) museum standard galleries; b) a high-level performance space; c) artists’ studios and d) new restaurant facilities. All of these factors will attract an abundant wealth of visitors. The Future Model will fuse the arts with tourism and become a flagship centre demanding compulsory viewing visitation. TOP