On Friday February 23 the decision to increase weekly rent by $400 was put to me (Art Space Committee president) by Council’s Mayor, General Manager, and the Economic and Business Development Manager.

Committing to make and pay that big regular amount only three months away from now is impossible. The gallery has sound forward planning but it’s still using borrowed equipment it hasn’t been able to afford yet.  

Since opening in March 2017 it’s been welcomed by Urunga’s businesses. It represents the entire local community and it has had over 8,000 visitors.

But if it has to close, the premises go to a rent market where it was often vacant and last sat empty for nearly two years. Urunga loses an educational arts centre it has never had before.  And what new tenant will be able to attract 8,000 people in less than a year?

Now Urunga is further bypassed by the new highway, more development is occurring.  Council and prospective tenants are seeing a vibrant, renovated Art Space instead of the deserted ex-butchery that artists revived as a Pop Up Gallery.

Since then its group exhibitions have generated over $38,000. Part of that is commission and hanging fees that scores of local artists including Indigenous artists have paid.

The time they all give to keep the gallery open six days a week is unpaid too, like the handful of artist members who constantly work to coordinate, plan and hang upcoming exhibitions.

“=Council’s report states that we had ‘expressed no interest in relocating to alternative premises’. In fact it should explain that as the Manager agreed, no council-owned building on the ‘alternative’ list could work as a gallery.  

Mould infestation makes the old Rural Fire Service building an unusable health hazard. The Neighbourhood Centre, Museum, Visitor Information Centre, Literary Institute and Senior Citizens Hall all have conflicting uses and/or unsuitable locations for custom, and all lack enough hanging space.

All that is true plus the fact that the gallery’s intrinsic value to the community and CBD is its spot at Urunga’s main cross road where it draws and keeps visitors in town longer and is a tourist attraction that does not rely on good weather.

Council argues that by allowing this arts centre more development time at less than $550 weekly rent, it gets complaints of unfairness from others.  But Bellingen and Dorrigo have well established galleries, are not bypassed, and are promoted by Art Space.  

Council advises us to apply to ask the rent increase from funding programs, but these only take applications around April, and the odds of gaining the amount from them are very slim.

The Art Space had kept commission and other fees low to give artists a high return till the centre gained the present lease security.  All fees have now risen to aid our counter-offer to Council of $200 weekly rent and paid utilities for a 12-months lease agreement from July 1.  

If council accepts this offer it will be giving Urunga’s first community arts centre reasonable time and conditions to achieve its goals.

Our offer is now possible through generous donation of $3,000 by a new patron, Mr John Fietelson, rental of designated space to individual monthly exhibitions, and planned income including memberships, teaching and Friends of the Gallery events.

Finally, it was said at last Friday’s meeting at the council that other arts organisations in nearby councils ‘pay full rental’.  None that I know of pay anywhere near $550 a week.

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Urunga Art Space gets a reprieve