Sir, - Ciaran Benson, former chairman of the Arts Council, says (August 12th) it is his understanding that the council did not pressurise the Project Arts Centre to remain in Temple Bar rather than relocate in Smithfield. Many in the art world would feel, however, that Frank McDonald got it right (Weekend, August 5th).
There appears to be a special relationship between the Arts Council and Temple Bar Properties, and the council works hard to keep arts organisations in Temple Bar, no matter how cramped and unsuitable their accommodation. Is it to TBP's advantage to keep these organisations in its territory in order to benefit financially from its official "cultural quarter" status?
The Sculptors Society of Ireland also tried to relocate to Smithfield during Ciaran Benson's chairmanship of the council. The society had been offered a new, purpose-built, double-height premises as headquarters, exhibition and performance space by the enlightened developer of Smithfield Village at a fraction of the commercial rent. The grant that the Sculptors Society then received from the Arts Council was sufficient to finance and sustain the move.
This could have been the "prestigious anchor arts project" Mr Benson says he favoured in Smithfield and would have benefited not only the 400 members of the society, but the visual arts community as a whole, as well as the redevelopment of Smithfield. The society was instead pointed towards a dingy, third-floor premises above a restaurant in Temple Bar, at about the same rent and with less space than the premises it then occupied in Capel Street. It turned down this offer.
Shortly afterwards, and with little or no warning, the Sculptors Society was informed that the Arts Council was unhappy with its finances, and the board was called for an examination to Merrion Square. Present for the Arts Council were just three people: arts officer Oliver Dowling, the director, Patricia Quinn (formerly of Temple Bar Properties) and council member Vivienne Roche (board member and former chairperson of the National Sculpture Factory, Cork).
Following this the Sculptors Society was informed that its grant was to be cut to about one quarter of the level of previous years. (The National Sculpture Factory, Cork, had its grant substantially increased at the same time). The principal reason given for the cut was that the Sculptors Society was running a debt equivalent to about half its annual grant, but this was a situation which was by no means uncommon among arts organisations at the time.
The upshot was that the society lost not only the Smithfield premises, but was also left with insufficient funds to keep on its inventive and energetic director, Aisling Prior. The magnificent premises at Smithfield still lies empty, and the Sculptors Society, now a chastened creature of the Arts Countil, lives out a reduced existence in its garret rooms in Capel Street.
So much for the Arts Council fostering the arts and creating jobs. That, to borrow Ciaran Benson's phrase, is my understanding of what happened. - Yours, etc.,
Eamonn O'Doherty, Former Board Member, Sculptors Society of Ireland, Former committee member (distant past), Project, Arts Centre, Marlborough Road, Dublin 4.