TRONGATE 103
This summer will see construction work begin on a major new facility for the visual arts in Glasgow – Trongate 103.
The project has been devised in a partnership between Glasgow City Council and 8 Merchant City based visual arts organisations. It will see the transformation of the north block of King Street, a building that has been home to Glasgow Print Studio, Street Level Photoworks, Transmission Gallery, Sharmanka and the Russian Cultural Centre for many years. These organisations will be joined by Project Ability, Glasgow Media Access Centre and Glasgow Independent Studios, who will relocate from nearby buildings into the new facility.
Trongate 103 will house two floors of exhibition spaces and a further four floors of artists production facilities. The production facilities will support artists working in a wide range of media including printmaking, photography, digital media, film, video, kinetic sculpture, ceramics and painting. As well as supporting professional artists, Trongate 103 will offer opportunities to the public to make and learn about art, through a varied programme of evening classes, workshops and talks. A large part of the educational programme at Trongate 103 will be geared towards school groups, and will be devised to support the curriculum.
The refurbished building will also incorporate a new build to the rear, which will house new foyer and circulation spaces. This new entrance space will transform the building, making all of the spaces fully accessible. It is appropriate that the address of this new entrance space, 103 Trongate, gives rise to the name of the project, as it reflects the coming together of disparate arts organisations to build on their individual strengths and to deliver a unique collective experience for visitors and users of the building.
The project has a budget of £7 million, which has been secured from Glasgow City Council, The Scottish Arts Council National Lottery Fund, Scottish Enterprise Glasgow and the Merchant City Townscape Heritage Initiative. Award winning architects Elder and Cannon have designed the building which is due to go on site in Summer this year, and is due to open to the public in 2009.
For more information about Trongate 103 please contact arts.development@csglasgow.org To register to receive regular updates on the project, log on to www.trongate103.com