Members of a long-standing art institute in Paisley claim they are being forced out of the council’s £45 million upgraded museum.
Those involved with the Paisley Art Institute (PAI) – which has been managing Renfrewshire’s largest collection of paintings and sculptures for 147 years – have called out OneRen, Renfrewshire Council’s leisure arm, for “destroying” the fine art organisation by taking away a large part of their exhibition space.
Current members claim the council is erasing a past agreement made between the PAI and the council by much reducing the fine art offering at the new site.
Paisley Museum is currently undergoing a significant refurbishment – the largest cultural heritage project in Scotland.
OneRen maintains that the historic venue is being refurbished and redesigned with the purpose of appealing to and attracting more than just fine art appreciators and has refuted claims from the PAI that they are being forced out.
OneRen say that PAI have been offered “a large, prominent space”, which it has rejected.
Anne Hargan, secretary of the PAI, said the space offered is a balcony spot which it used to use for showcasing a children’s art competition.
She said: “The children’s artworks were only A4 size and even then you had to step back to try and view them properly, but there’s only so far you can go back because of the balcony.
“We commend any attempt to breathe new life into the town with a serious injection of money, but not to the insult of destroying a fine Art Institute which has given so much to the town over the years.
“The council/OneRen have not been explicit with the public that there are major casualties in the reimagining project – firstly there will be no more art galleries and secondly this is the greatest existential threat to the Paisley Art Institute.”
The museum and art galleries have housed the PAI’s collection since 1914, which includes almost 200 pieces of unique artwork.
The collection has been described as “Paisley’s crown jewel” and includes Sir John Lavery’s Paisley Lawn Tennis Club, as well as pieces by Francis Cadell, a Scottish colourist, and Francis Newbery, the director of the Glasgow School of Art from 1885 and 1917.
In the early 20th century, Peter Coats jnr financed the building of gallery additions to Paisley Museum and Art Galleries, to showcase the PAI collection and to host their annual exhibition.
The PAI say that this was in return for guaranteed use by them.
Anne said that there was a contractual agreement in place between PAI and the council, however, Renfrewshire Council say that this contract has never been produced when asked for; and have been given legal advice that the PAI has no right to access the galleries.
OneRen have expressed a desire to work with the historic institution, and say they have engaged with the group to find solutions to their requirements for the redesigned museum.
A OneRen spokesperson said: “When the museum reopens there will be a significant number of paintings on display, and we remain in discussions with PAI with a view to a number of the works owned by them being part of that.
“The reopened museum will be a world-class attraction expected to almost-quadruple visitor numbers to 128,000 a year, bringing huge benefits to the area – but to achieve these, it needs to transform and broaden its offer. The museum redesign will allow us to double the number of items from Renfrewshire’s collections which can be displayed and shared with residents and visitors.
“The museum is for all of Renfrewshire and will reflect all of the communities it serves – indeed, we have engaged with more than 70 community groups to shape the audience offer.
“The PAI is a key part of our cultural heritage and we hope they will work with us to tell the stories of the town’s incredible artists and artistic legacy.”
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