Cornwall Ontario – TAG Cornwall, the now closed Public Art Gallery of Cornwall had dusty plans for an Art Centre from 1995. The City of Cornwall of course never moved forward and slashed funding for the Charity to zero for 2015 and 2016 before it closed, instead spending the amount of money to keep the gallery open for a full year on a study for an Art Centre that suggested spending millions of dollars to add to the Waterfront Civic Complex which frankly was bizarre and strange making no sense as it really makes no sense to have the Civic Complex itself on the Waterfront.
Sadly, bad politics sucked in some very naive and well meaning artists who actually aided the city’s shutting down of the gallery.
Now via this missive from the Waterfront Committee it clearly shows no action on the Art Centre front. Not even lip service or lame fundraisers for a facility. No quotes from Councilor Elaine MacDonald who had been on the board of TAG Cornwall along with Councilor Hebert where both broke the law which appears to have resulted in their resignation from the gallery board.
Should anyone be surprised? Not really because if you can’t afford $50K per year to keep your only art asset open then you clearly aren’t going to invest $10-$15M adding an annex to a building that’s near it’s lifespan and frankly is an expensive White Elephant.
Likewise the board of TAG offered the city the opportunity to purchase its Permanent Art Collection that had been evaluated at over $700K for just the paltry amount of $15K so that the gallery could pay off its debts and close the books on the charity. The City did not respond to the gallery after several email attempts were made. The collection is due to go to auction shortly, and will forever be lost to the community rather than preserved.
What do you think dear CFN viewers? You can post your comments below.
I find it always sad when a community no matter how big or small loses the ‘arts” in any form. Without our roots in art in all its forms. We do not grow as a people! I just spent a couple of days in mu hometown Montreal. I acted as a tourist in Old Montreal. I am not up to speed in their local politics but I could tell that the arts are preserved in a city as larger as Mtl!
Perhaps our illustrious Waterfront Committee -HOTC-BIA-Le Village, should deal with more important issues like the desire to build housing units within Lamoureux Park again ? Or, is it because the Committee is again tainted ? Why, hasn’t the issue of those hideous bridge supports not being dealt with ? Do, I hear a back-room deal going on ? Water St. parking appear more important. A joke !
Wouldn’t it be nice Ivan if some of the committee members clicked the donate button on our subscription drive?
http://cornwallfreenews.com/2017/06/10/cfn-needs-100-subscription-donations-by-monday-6pm-to-avoid-new-digital-ads-june-10-2017/
The bridge supports will be removed to just above the water line. When? I think the tender hasn’t gone out yet.
I don’t think we’ll see that happen Hugger.
Any civilized and decent city or town has a good art department. With no store for material I can tell you honestly that I wouldn’t set foot in Cornwall to live ever and arts are mighty important. I don’t go for the dirty clique in Cornwall so that town is out of mind for me to live in. I enjoy mighty good laughs out of that town and that is it.
This morning while driving with hubby I could hear on the radio about Brockville advertising for tourism. I thought about Cornwall and roared with laughter. There is nothing at all in Cornwall except for the dirty cliques and pollution in the ground and air for the many hundreds of years to come and no work at all. Brockville has the 1000 islands and Cornwall is finished in every way.
If housing units were built in Lamoureux Park that would be a disaster. All the beauty of the river scenery would be shot to hell. No way that would make Cornwall even uglier than what it is now. There are enough shacks around town without any more disasters.
Montréal is a great city full of history and plenty of artists around the city. Cornwall has absolutely nothing to offer and they proved themselves as a place of no culture and no education.
Jamie & Hugger,
Yes, the last info on those “tombstones” was that they would be removed to the water line. However, it appeared some time ago, that the Gov’t was somewhat reluctant to do so ! Cannot figure out WHY our Waterfront Committee, are not championing this issue ? They are indeed an eyesore to our outstanding waterfront ! (IMO)
Jules Cornwall does have an art store. They sadly boycott CFN as well. I stopped shopping there.
Jamie did you say that Cornwall has an art store? Where? The last art store that I can remember was at Kyte’s Book Store. That was going oh my God back in the 1960’s and early 70’s era. Is that the art store that you are talking about on Pitt Street? The material store is gone – taxes and rents, etc. are way too high. I need my material and I love art.
Jamie I boycotted Farm Boy and it has the best goodies but I would not shop there as long as they boycott you. I will not shop anywhere that you are boycotted. Jamie you are the best transplant that Cornwall has and they don’t appreciate what is good and they are paying for their ignorance.
No Jules the art store is part of a big chain that should know better and advertise on the largest media in its market especially as we offer far better value.
I haven’t come across the art store that you are speaking about Jamie and so much has changed over the years. I have been in Ottawa for quite a long time. A tenant asked us today how long we lived here and we told him 13 years and he said WOW! This is one of the better buildings in Ottawa – it is nice and quiet. No noise – only hubby coughing. LOL LOL.
Time for him to quit smoking Jules 🙂
Hubby is so afraid of doctors that it is unreal. He should get his lungs examined as well as my son (2 very stubborn people). I would hate to see a man have a baby – there would be no population on earth if it were up to men. Such a very dirty habit. I saw a man in the park with a marijuana pipe and the smoke coming out of him was incredible and I chocked.
Smoking is a very bad and dirty habbit. I cleaned the walls some years ago here and I told hubby that he will have to clean the walls since he smokes and I don’t. HEY! That would make him quit smoking altogether with that kind of work. LOL LOL. ROLF! Can you imagine someone’s lungs. It has been 50 years for hubby smoking. What a filthy habit. I am 100% against marijuana and other drugs.
In Europe (with the exception of Monaco) only the lowest class lives near the water. In my husband’s Lebanon the same thing – the lower classes and it stinks. The same in Italy and everywhere else. We had an Italian neighbor in Cornwall while growing up and the old lady said the same and she was one of them. I cannot stand water at all to live near that and we love nature.
I prefer the Civic Centre on the waterfront and when we go down to Cornwall during the summers (it has been 3 or 4 years now since we were down) we go and walk along the river and it is very beautiful. About the Arts Centre it is a necessity and yes a population grows when there is a good art centre as well as not only grows but attracts good people.
When I see people throwing grass clippings at one another, knives at their parents, pop cans, etc. this is not civilized and there are too many drugs and booze and no brains. This is not a civilized place to live in when society has gone to hell.
JULES, (your comment of 11:44)
Finally, a comment on topic ! What we (most citizens) would agree, is to keep Lamoureux Park, free of housing & condos , that only a select few of us could ever afford. With present & past Waterfront Com.’ s , this is indeed a major task ! I am delighted to see, when you come to Cornwall, that you enjoy our tremendous waterfront.
Have to agree with Mr Jamie about old bridge piers
Head of Bridge Corp pledged in newspaper story that they would be out
When I talked to Mohawk Ironworkers and other onsite officials they scoffed especially after two tugs were sunk with one crew member swept down the St Lawrence by the super strong currents..I saw the video it was really scary
claudette
nice to see old friend Jules on here!!
Such Nonsense from Bridge headxxxx http://www.cornwallseawaynews.com/news/2015/10/26/update-water-based-bridge-pillars-will-4322613.html http://mail.cornwall.ca/Active/Development/egenda.nsf/965d04e85bb82eb4852573ae007b4532/b4df4df979feda3f85257eeb0047c3cc?OpenDocument
Hi Mr. Ivan Decker keep the waterfront without any kind of housing or condos. People would not be able to afford a condo or anything except for a very certain few and that won’t be enough to keep taxes, etc. going. Here in Ottawa only the very rich can live near the water and they hog everything. Housing along the water adds to pollution as well as being ugly.
I will be getting down to Cornwall and I don’t know when but my husband loves the beautiful scenery of water and land and he said that it has to be protected and enjoyed by everyone. We love Lamoureux Park very much. Keep the park free of housing. I am very anxious to meet Jamie in person and he is a great man in Cornwall and I can see that.
It looks like a half a—- job and no planning was involved including in the cost of the removal of the pillars. I can see that it would be a dangerous job and only one undertaken by someone who knows how to do such a thing with great skill. The mayor and council do not have enough vision that is exactly what I see.
Jules it’s not up to the Mayor and Council. Let’s be fair.
Jamie whoever is in charge (it may be the St. Lawrence Seaway Authority) the federal government to remove those pillars. There has to be a plan so as they can be removed successfully without any hazard or people killed or injured. A plan is needed. Those went up when I was a child and I used to hear the work on the go from where I lived with my parents. That was tons of years ago in the 50’s.
Jules my sources told me that the reason the pillars are there is because the fancy pants engineers didn’t listen to the guys that do the work and then it was oops. That’s not in the budget. It wouldn’t be the first time something like that happened.
That sure explains it all Jamie. Those at the top do nothing right and it is the little people who do the work and the nut cases at the top get all the credit. Well they sure goofed in not allowing for money in the budget to cover the cost of removal of those pillars and they sure look like an eye sore without the bridge on it.
The new bridge must be like water skiing on the river being so low. I am so used to that old bridge and I haven’t been on the new one. We shop here in Canada and not in the US so we never needed to go over the bridge. We used to have quite a bird’s eye view of Cornwall from above and now that is gone.