ARTS LOVERS made it a night when they took part in a public sleepover at the redeveloped Model arts centre in Sligo which reopened at the weekend following a €6 million refurbishment.
Bernadette O’Shea, chairwoman of the board of The Model, said it was hoped the building, “possibly the largest art space in the country”, would in time be the centrepiece of a planned cultural quarter for Sligo, now on hold for financial reasons.
The Model hopes to attract up to 100,000 visitors a year.
The extended building comprises eight artists’ studios on the top floor , a gallery “circuit” on the first floor, a 250-seater black-box performance space, a bookshop, restaurant and coffee shop. “It really is the acropolis on the hill,” said Ms O’Shea.
The new galleries are environmentally controlled to enable the centre to exhibit the more sensitive pieces in its Niland Collection of almost 400 works, including 56 by Jack B Yeats as well as pieces by Paul Henry and Seán Keating.
The centre opened on Saturday night with an exhibition that included musical performances and artist discussions which continued through the night for the 80 or so people who took part in the public sleepover.
Funding for the re-development included €3.5 million from the Department of Arts, Sports and Tourism, €2.4 million from the EU fund for infrastructure development in gateway cities, €600,000 from Sligo Borough Council and private donations.
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