Northsiders appear to be getting more than a little hot under the collar about the sale of one of the jewels in Margate's regeneration crown, the Outfitters Gallery in the Increasingly Less Creative Quarter.Since I broke the news that it's up for sale for £415,000, there have been calls for an investigation into whether the £100,000+ funding from GOSE (the Government of the South East - who they???) and the Arts Council (via Kent Creative Partnerships) has been well spent. Oh yes, well and truly, I would say - the solid oak worktop in the kitchen is to die for! Lovetts' details certainly appear to put more emphasis on the place as a charming pied-a-mer than a thriving art gallery and place for the kiddies to come and make papier mache walruses.
Personally I can't see what all the fuss is about. After all, we're not talking about anything like the £8m that was wasted on the 'offshore' Turnip Centre, and anyway GOSE would surely have ensured the money could be clawed back from any profit from a sale within a certain time after the funding was handed out. They surely would have. Surely. They would. No, they would have, surely.
Outfitters Gallery on the GOSE website
Outfitters Gallery on the Lovetts website
12 comments:
Power to your elbow ER.
Not so long ago a guy called Papa Adams was whinging that £35,000 grant aid for his Fort Lodge Hotel was too measerly.
Has that gone up for sale or what ?
Then there is the 100,000 plus per year to EKMT to run museums to their unique preservation strategy of having no visitors.
I wonder if you have time to focus your leterary talent on reviewing a book by Pat Monteath called Operation Orpheus (Quill Publishing)
There is rumour that a mischief maker is offering a prize to be picked at random from those who correctly answer who the character George IMANOS is based on in the book.
Answers to Bill Tonhay 12 Cilceia Road. He is qualified to judge.
I imagine the benefactors will get fat and have to buy their clothes from an outfitters.
Thanks for posting the link on the previous post Eastcliff.u
I'm sure there's a perfectly reasonable explanation to all this.
Banana
Yes we have no explanations
We got assurances
And denials
But yes we have no explanations
We got no explanations todaaaay
I smell a rat!
The trouble with this lot and all others like them is they arrive think thay can 'save' the plebs with art, ride the gravy train, pull some wool over some eyes and clear off (see TC and exodus project as well) they dont give a stuff about locals, they really dont, its jobs for the boys (and girls) The trouble is the local big wigs are so desperate for and i quote "we want the whitstable effect" ... that 'effect' took 45 years and was an organic process, not a gravey train led patronizing arty farty party.
Surely the big difference between Whitstable and here is that they've got a decent council in charge.
Look at the Horsebridge Arts and Community Centre. Nice building, gallery, cafe, arts and performance spaces, went up without a fuss, very successful. Oh to be a part of CCC!
What we need is oysters
We've got whelks - will they do?
Have you noted that despite TDC Councillors involved on the site on the North side, the one topic that they are ALL assiduosly ignoring is the TDC/GOSE grant to 'Outfitters' and what it is all about. If you have time, can you ask questions at TDC about the grant and if money will be re-paid? The whole thing stinks to high heaven and the silence from TDC Councillors on the subject is deafening!
Cllr Green is asking questions, apparently it'll take a couple of weeks at least to get any answers. So watch this, or his, space.
Hello Mr Eastcliff, we have just heard via the gravy train web site, about your 'visionary' Van Gogh contemporary project! On the back of this exciting announcement we would love to come and do (subsidized) 'interesting things' in your town. Both Ellverteen and myself cant wait to come and show you plebs, opps sorry! i mean 'fellow culture vultures' all about the wonderful (and don't worry, it wont bite!) world of contemporary art. The world of contemporary art can be a little daunting or even slightly off putting, but don't worry with myself and Ellverteen's help we will soon be on velvet gloved hand to guide you and your fellow towns folk on a stimulating, patronizing and at times even thought provoking journey, a journey to a place of knowledge and understanding, a place we like to call hot air or increased property values for all!
Kisses
Me-me rhodes beacon
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