Madam, - I write to correct two factual inaccuracies in Peter Crawley's article about City Arts in your edition of May 12th.
Firstly, Sandy Fitzgerald's departure in 2001 from his post as executive director of City Arts Centre (as it was then known) was not, as the article states, "prompted" by the board "discharging the majority of its staff". Sandy's decision to step down after 28 years in post was entirely his own and was not "prompted" by anything other than his own considered response to a process of long-term strategic renewal and development which had already commenced in the final period of his tenure.
He continues to work closely with City Arts on a major ongoing arts archiving project and in relation to our continuing involvement with TransEurop Halles and other international programmes.
Secondly, the strategic review begun in 2001 which came to be known as the Civil Arts Inquiry did not follow from a decision to "shut" the Moss Street building nor from any subsequent "crisis". The facts are that the board, after much consideration and discussion throughout 2001, including dialogues with the Arts Council, decided to close the existing operation in order to renew the organisation and then set up the Strategic Review. The inquiry was a carefully planned and widely supported open process over two years, during which several action-research events and projects, as well as debates and publications, continued from Moss Street and other premises, including Haunted at the 2003 Dublin Fringe Festival.
As the article notes, with the inquiry now complete and a position paper setting out our plans available and in the public domain, City Arts remains involved from its current temporary offices in a range of arts programmes and community partnerships. The article also correctly states that the quest for suitable premises for the next phase of City Arts is ongoing and is actively being pursued at present.
It is important that the record is clear on these issues for your readership and others. - Yours, etc,
DECLAN GORMAN,
Company Secretary,
CityArts,
Merrion Square,
Dublin 2.