Forum opposes gallery merger

NEARLY 200 art world professionals attended a public forum yesterday on the proposed amalgamation of the Irish Museum of Modern Art (Imma), the National Gallery of Ireland and the Crawford Art Gallery, Cork.

The event was chaired by Terry Prone and featured a formidable roll-call of speakers, including international museum directors, academics, art administrators, gallerists, artists – and an economist.

The intent to amalgamate the institutions was announced by the Government late last year. It still stands as policy even though, as Imma chairman Eoin McGonigal and writer Anthony Cronin both pointed out, Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism Martin Cullen, to judge by his public comments, does not seem keen on the idea.

Mr McGonigal said the board of Imma is not in favour of amalgamation, a position reiterated by Imma director Enrique Juncosa.

If the Department of Arts had hoped support for amalgamation might emerge from at least some of the speakers, those hopes were systematically dashed as the day wore on. It became clear that even those charged with overseeing amalgamated institutions don’t see it as a straightforward issue.

Michael Houlihan, director general of National Museums Wales (who formerly held the same position in Northern Ireland), detailed the complexity of the process. “Amalgamation,” he said, “is not an event. It’s a way of life.”

The rationale for the proposed amalgamation was to cut costs. In the first three to five years, Mr Houlihan pointed out, costs would certainly be higher. Any savings would take something like 10 years. But minor savings had to be set against the large risks involved – a point reiterated by many speakers. For one thing, he said, we should ask whether amalgamation would make the institutions more effective given, as he put it: “The insidious power of centralisation, which tends to destroy individual identity.”

Economist Jim Power was dismayed by the absence of a plan. “This thing was not thought through. There was no cost/benefit analysis, for example.” Of the €22 million that goes into the three institutions annually, he could foresee savings up to only €2 million. Even that might not materialise and had to be set against the risks, he said.