Turner Contemporary: can it drive Margate’s regeneration?
Next week the new Turner Contemporary art gallery opens in Margate. As the name suggests, the gallery is intended to celebrate the long and close association between the artist JMW Turner and the Kent seaside town. It won’t have a permanent collection but will have a least one work by Turner (loaned from another gallery) on show at all times.
And this initiative will be complemented by a bold series of programming of temporary exhibitions very much focusing on contemporary art.
I have to admit that I was a bit dubious about the gallery at first – and its chances for long-term sustainability. I was doubtful that it would able to pull in sufficient numbers of visitors from the Kent region as well as London, which obviously has so many excellent art galleries and shows already. And I was equally doubtful about the new gallery’s aim of regenerating the depressed town of Margate and its surrounding area.
Yes, I know that other landmark art galleries have recently done just that in places like Nottingham and Middlesborough.
But my worry is that with every week that goes by there seems to be the announcement of yet another arts venue – even in these economically straitened times. Just how many of them can we take before we’ve had enough? Britain might thankfully have a booming arts scene that’s the envy of the world but we’re still a small country; how many supposedly “iconic” centres for contemporary art can our small population feasibly maintain? Aren’t we going to approach saturation point soon?
After visiting Margate on Wednesday and walking around Turner Contemporary, I’m happy to report that I feel much more positive about the future not only of the gallery but of the town itself. Yes, it’s a very depressed part of Britain and so much of the formerly glorious sea front is blighted by boarded-up shops and empty amusement arcades. But all the raw materials are still there – the beautiful sandy beaches that first made Margate famous and the stunning skyline that so enchanted Turner.
Talking to local people around Margate, the impression I got was that the majority of them had initially been hostile to the idea of the gallery but have now been won over; partly because they’ve been swept up in the wave of enthusiasm surrounding its opening but partly too because they can already see signs of regeneration beginning to appear around the town. And there does seem to be a genuine atmosphere of hope and excitement which, if the feel-good factor’s as important as economists often tell us it is, certainly can’t be doing any harm.
Having said that, I think it will take more than just Turner Contemporary to give Margate the kick-start it needs. The best examples of regeneration I can think of have involved the development of multiple initiatives around the same time rather than just one. When the Baltic and Sage projects opened in Newcastle and Gateshead, the focus of the entire area shifted to the river, a new folding bridge opened up (which became a tourist attraction in itself), the riverside walkways were redeveloped and things took off from there.
Likewise, something similar happened in London on the South Bank, which for years had been something of a white elephant and a supposed centre for the arts which in reality never really took off. Until the London Eye opened within a year or so of Tate Modern and suddenly the South Bank became a thoroughfare for a constant corridor of people moving from one destination to the other. Before long, the stretch of riverbank in between became dotted with shops and restaurants in a way that it hadn’t ever before.
So Turner Contemporary might be a great start to Margate’s long-term plans of regeneration but it’ll only work if it creates a domino effect. Several people I spoke to yesterday mentioned how important the now defunct theme park Dreamland is to the identity and life of the town. Apparently there are plans to reopen it in 2012 as a vintage theme park, including museum piece rides lifted from similar parks in British seaside towns which have also experienced devastating periods of economic depression. The idea sounds great to me and it was fascinating to see the plans and walk around the old site.
But let’s hope that for the moment Turner Contemporary gets things off to a cracking start. It took me a while to fall in love with the building itself – when I first saw the back of it as I emerged from the train station, I thought it looked like a massive warehouse-style B and Q. But my resistance crumbled once I saw it from a boat out at sea – Turner’s own preferred means of transport when he was travelling to Margate from London. And as the day drew on, watching how the building interacted with the local light which so inspired Turner finished off all my remaining reservations.
But I do have one remaining criticism. If Turner Contemporary is intended to celebrate Turner’s association with Margate and his ongoing artistic legacy, why isn’t the Turner painting currently on show one which he painted whilst actually staying in the town? Why didn’t organisers play their trump card to create maximum impact during opening week?
Maybe the plan is to save the trump card and play it later. If so, I’ll just have to make a return trip.
Follow @MatthewCainC4 on Twitter.
Related posts:
- Turner Prize 10: the winner takes it all?
- Turner Prize 10: twists, sounds and paintings behaving badly
- Britain is a world leader in contemporary dance – so don’t miss out
- It is the Christmas ‘getaway’, but do you ever get away?
There are 11 comments on this post
“…a genuine atmosphere of hope and excitement…” Thanks Matthew, for picking up on the new Margate zeitgeist. Remember to come back soon!
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Having had a business in the Old Town for the last three years I have seen a hugs change in the area. The Old Town has gone through a transformation and with it brought a whole range of fantastic independent shops with people passionate about their goods. We are getting a name for quality and originality, helped by the Turner Gallery, but also helping the Turner. As Chair of the Old Town Action Group I work closely with both the regeneration team and the Turner Gallery themselves. We never thought that the gallery should do all the work, it is about partnership and commitment. All of which we have here and enthusiasm too. This is only the start and what a great beginning it is.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Brilliant to read a balanced piece about what’s happening in Margate without the usual boarded up shop clichés dominating.
It’s an exciting and fascinating time to be in Margate. I’ve lived here for 18 months, and in that time, the change has been astounding.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
No mention of the architect – David Chipperfield.
Also the Turner Contemporary project has been putting on events and exhibitions locally in Margate for ten years. So the building has not been dropped on Margate out of the blue. It is a great building giving Turner Contemporary a centre for their work.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Thank you Matthew for a balanced article. I am in the yes camp and cant wait for the Turner to open, but as you say art is not the only thing here we have sun sea and sand. Turner loved Thanet not just Margate and I ask your readers to rediscover Margate along with Ramsgate and Broadstairs we have some fantastic places to visit. SWo come back soon not just for a day but for a stay.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Yes good writing and I agree about the Turner painting, and why not show many of his studies that I understand are almost permanently in store at The Tate…good luck Margate from an equally impoverished, East Folkestone.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
This Gallery is destined to fail. Oh yes in the 1st year or so it will prove popular but thereafter it will be on a rapid decline.
Sadly the council will do everything in its power(& beyond no doubt)to save face when that time comes & they will punish us the,people of Margate,through their pockets to keep it afloat(thats if it hasn’t sunk by then).
Its a temporay summer attraction & not an all year round one.The town needs more seaside attractions & the impending “ne2 Dreamland is the one thing that will prove t be benifial to the community & the visitors from far away.
After one visit to the Gallery those that visit will not want to come here again just to see that.
I believe the entrance is to be £20 too. Oh dear Thanet Council, A big big own goal & the people of Margate told you so.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Marylin you sound like the most negitive of people it has not officially opened yet and in your mind it is closed already. I feel sorry that you condemn it before you see how it looks inside even you can afford it as it is free. But I feel you will never darken its door. Not everyone in Margate is anti as you assume some of us welcome the Turner. I am proud we have a building designed by an international architect that is modern and designed for purpose and fit for the 21st century. I love Georgian architecture but when that was built it was regarded as modern. I know some dont like the Turner but as I came round by the Nayland Rock last night and say the Harbour all illuminated and the gallery it looke dfantastic.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Again, Marylin, I wonder where you get your information. The Turner is free, they have said that from day one. Free for people to enjoy, be inspired and appreciate. I have a business in Margate and have seen the growth of trade, promotion for the place and desire by locals to see the area improve. It is helped with people supporting us, not sitting back knocking what they do not even know yet. Come down to the Old Town and see the changes, you may just be surprised!
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
I believe that whilst it is free at the moment, from September it will be about £17 to enter!
If this is the case then perhaps local people should still have free access.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Tracey it is free. Where did you get this information. Please phone or contact the Turner Gallery, this information is wrong.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0