Plans to take art and exhibitions out of Shire Hall in Stafford and for the council arts service to adopt a new approach to delivering community arts events and exhibitions is being proposed by council leaders.
Under new plans, the council arts service will vacate the historic Shire Hall building and instead deliver pop-up exhibitions and events much more widely across all of Staffordshire, which would take place in community centres, libraries and other local venues.
The proposals stem from dwindling visitor figures, and comes at the same time that Wolverhampton University, who are also based in the building, have taken the decision to find alternative premises in the town to run their courses.
Staffordshire County Councillor Gill Heath, will hold the responsibility for the proposed changes to the arts service and said:
“We’re going to focus on providing our arts activity more widely across the county, targeting more people with ‘pop-up’ exhibitions and events in new and existing venues within communities. It’s going to be different from a Stafford-based service and I think it has great potential.”
There are no details as yet as to what the Shire Hall will be used for if the plans go ahead, and the proposed review of the building’s use and a plan to take the county’s arts service into the community will be considered later this month.
