It was in May 2013 that I wrote about some of Scotland's most venerable gallery spaces, which, at the time of my visit, were "silent, their elegant dimensions empty."
Myself, a photographer and a couple of other interested parties were allowed to have a brief look around the deserted hallways and galleries of one of the nation's finest spaces, in the heart of the country's biggest city. They were in fine, if sad, condition - the beautiful chandelier in its entrance hall hung unlit, and daylight streamed from windows and cupolas onto empty floors and bare walls in Glasgow's McLellan Galleries.
In terms of world news, such urban abandonment is small fry, of course. But in the world of Scottish culture, the disuse of such a fine venue and gallery seemed an enormous waste, especially in a city where visual art, and in particular contemporary art, is in such health. The B-listed building, built in 1856 and in use for 150 years, has not really been in full time use since 2006.
Now, there is a degree of genuine optimism for Glasgow's McLellan Galleries, which look set fair for a renaissance.
This week, as looks, likely - and reported elsewhere in this paper - Glasgow City Council's Executive Committee will consider approving The Glasgow School of Art (GSA) as the preferred long-term tenant for the B-listed McLellan Galleries. It is a long lease - 95 years - and, if plans proceed, will see the galleries undergoing significant change. I understand there are ambitious architectural plans which could see the galleries, which are fairly anonymous at street level, opened up more to the world. Sauchiehall Street, on which it stands, has seen better days, and a revitalised McLellan Galleries could only be a boon to that particular area of the city centre.
For the GSA, which itself has had a tumultuous year, the galleries will obviously provide the possibility of gallery space for Fine Art Degree Shows that were lost when the Mackintosh Building underwent its trial by fire in May, although it is not as yet confirmed they will be used for this purpose (it seems an obvious use to me).
The GSA is to invest between £10m and £20m in the B Listed building, which is not small change. Tens of thousands of pounds are needed just to make it a functioning building, I understand.
But it will be interesting, particularly, to see how public the building will be. The GSA is committed to "to repair the building and use it in line with its historic focus on art, culture and public access." I know that the Royal Glasgow Institute of Fine Arts, or RGI, has a keen interest in the building, especially as it is the historic home of that organisation's annual show. Indeed, it has already booked its annual show to be staged in the McLellan next summer. After that? It is still to be determined. The GI festival of contemporary art also used the galleries - which are, and still will be, owned by the city of Glasgow - in its last iteration and this observer thought it was a fine venue for that event. Let's hope, if the council do approve its new operator as the GSA, it remains as much a public venue as an artistic and academic one.
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