WHEN the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE) quietly announced plans to close Inverleith House after three decades as a gallery of modern art, it appeared unprepared for the furore it provoked.
Its management insisted at the time the decision had been taken after “considerable consideration”. Yet this had not included any kind of meaningful consultation.
Eleven months later, with a campaign against the closure supported by a 10,000-signature petition, among them celebrities such as Ewan McGregor, Val Kilmer and Irvine Welsh, there is a reprieve, of sorts.
Simon Milne, RBGE’s Regius Keeper claims the Gardens’ position has been misrepresented.
“It was never going to be closed”
he says. That seems highly implausible given his original announcement.
A campaign, championed by The Herald, has undoubtedly made a difference. It persuaded ministers to establish a working group which concluded Inverleith should continue to host a “rich and engaging” art programme.
The announcement Inverleith House will, after all, reopen and host exhibitions, is a partial victory for those who argued there should continue to be space at RBGE for culture as well as horticulture. Whether it will match the working group’s ambitions remains to be seen.
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