The National Glass Centre is open for business and Save the National Glass Centre campaign wants you to show your love ❤️
BBC reports this morning about the impact of levelling upon North East arts projects. The article draws attention to the lack of footfall to many of our cultural organisations. It’s apparent that the cost of living crisis has become an overwhelming factor of everyday life. Decisions about your weekly budget have to be made carefully. And, at the moment, bus fare and lunch is a stretch too far for far too many.
BBC report 02/07/2023 < use this link to read the full story.
Many organisations like the Tyneside Cinema in Newcastle are struggling to survive – with audiences failing to return to pre-Covid levels and a lack of local authority support. How is Arts Council funding distributed and how effectively is the government moving spending outside London?
By Richard Moss
Political editor, North East & Cumbria
Most of our cultural organisations offer free entry, and often have free workshops or events. The National Glass Centre is one of these fantastic places. Sunderland University wants to eventually demolish the building, and they are ‘considering’ future options for the entire St Peter’s site. The campaign to save the National Glass Centre flies in the face of the current position of Sunderland University, Sunderland City Council, and local labour MPs. We have an extremely tall order to sway these main oppositions around to our way of thinking.
We are not going to be able to do that if the National Glass Centre doesn’t have enough footfall. The opposition have already won, if we aren’t visibly using the assets we already have. The campaign wants the National Glass Centre to stay, and be the amazing treasure that it is, for future generations. So, it starts today with you choosing to pop in for a coffee, or to watch a demonstration, to buy something from the shop, to take a workshop, or to enjoy an exhibition.
The National Glass Centre is open for you. Let’s keep it that way by visiting it! Check out the list of workshops and exhibitions on their website:
https://sunderlandculture.org.uk/our-venues/national-glass-centre/whats-on/
In other news, the amazing Piers Gough, award winning master architect has sent us a message of support. Piers Gough was a great supporter of the National Glass Centre as an excellent example of one of the first buildings of its kind. Read his statement below:
Supplied by the C20 societyPiers Gough, 2023The National Glass Centre does so many thing so right. It exploits the sloping topography between Roker Terrace and the Wear by inviting the visitor straight onto the roof to first get a sense of the panoramic setting. Whilst entry to the building, signalled by two soaring chimneys, is invitingly sliced into the slope [in the manner of the great Oscar Niemeyer] The roof of course turns out to be a tour de force of glazing giving a unique birds’ eye view of the spaces below. The multi function interiors are inviting, spectacular, well lit and flexible enough to allow for many existing and future uses. The lowest level space opens seamlessly onto the quayside from where the whole building can be perceived as akin to a glass aircraft carrier including its quirky below deck control turret. This reference to Sunderland’s ship building heritage as well as glass making past makes this unique building special to its particular location. It is the best and most apposite 21st century building of the region.’
‘Sunderland cannot afford to lose such an icon. It would seem ideal for a forward looking university to use or repurpose but should it be superfluous another more appreciative owner should be found.’
Words from Piers Gough for us to use in the campaign; founder of CZWG architects and presenter of a C4 show in 2001 that visited the centre (https://twitter.com/C20Society/status/1671527404878065665)
C20 Society
Thank you for reading! Tell everyone to visit the National glass centre ASAP.
#SaveTheNationalGlassCentre #savethengc
Save the National Glass Centre 