New gallery could herald 'step change' for York arts and economy as plans unveiled
A new contemporary art gallery planned for York would herald a step change for the city, the director of the business behind it has said.
Cherie Federico, director of Aesthetica Magazine, said plans for a Centre for Contemporary Art (CCA) would support York’s creative industries and nurture local talent.
The businesswoman added it was time for York to think of itself as a hub of the UK creative industries which could offer new reasons for visitors to come and return.
It comes as Ms Federico is set to launch plans for the gallery at the Aesthetica Film Festival which gets underway in York on Wednesday, November 4.
A campaign has launched appealing for backing to support its founding ahead of a planning application being submitted to City of York Council.
The CCA would be housed in the Grade II*-listed De Grey Rooms, in St Leonard’s Place.
The gallery would feature a 5.4m-high room for immersive audio-visual art displays which would be the biggest of its kind outside Manchester and London.
Galleries, a workshop space, audio and music rooms, a café, bar and gift shop are planned across the three floors of the building which was constructed in the 1840s.
It would put on six to eight exhibitions a year and eight to 10 showcasing new talent from York and North Yorkshire.
Works would begin after the current De Grey Rooms tenants The Belfrey church leave which is set to happen in May next year.
The conversion would see some of the building’s original features restored and rooms opened up so it can house the gallery spaces.
It would then open in the summer of 2028, subject to plans being approved.
Up to 30 jobs would be created at the site, according to estimates.
The project’s costs are yet to be finalised.
Aesthetica Magazine Director Ms Federico said the new gallery would build on York’s visitor attractions offer and help provide new infrastructure for the region’s creative industries.
She added the CCA would tap into the potential offered by York’s status as a UNESCO City of Media Arts, a designation it shares with 28 places around the world.
Ms Federico told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS): “In York we struggle with the infrastructure for creative industries which are one of the key pillars of the UK economy.
“For my business, if we weren’t able to do our work here then it boils down to two choices which is either leave or change something, and I’m a big proponent of change.
“There was a golden age of new attractions in York starting about 50 years ago, we had the launch of the National Railway Museum in 1975, Jorvik in 1984 and York Dungeon in 1986 which were game-changers.
“We’re the beneficiaries of those decisions which have helped make York the place it is today, but there’s not been a significant step-change since then and that’s where the CCA comes in.
“If you look at cities around the country there are opportunities to get a creative career started, but its very challenging to do that in York.”
Ms Federico said the CCA would build on and compliment York’s existing cultural offer.
The director said: “This is the missing piece of what could be a dynamic cultural quarter with York Art Gallery, the Yorkshire Museum and Theatre Royal, the CCA could be an anchor and flagship site for the future.
“If you look at similar medieval cities to York like Bruges, they’ve recently opened a contemporary art gallery and that works in tandem with its heritage.
“Our ambition is to give people reasons to return because it’ll be a living, breathing space.
“I would like everyone to imagine a world where the Turner Prize could come to York.
“Aesthetica is home-grown, we started in York, we’ve always been here and all the events we do are here, this is part of our next step and we hope it gives people a reason to build a future in the city.”
More information can be found at: centreforart.com.