It would be a very thick-skinned individual and a very poor director of a public organisation that chose simply to ignore the elements of public opinion that sit uncomfortably with their own views.

However, in recent letters published here there is a tone of misinformation, most of it innocent, some malicious, that cannot go unchallenged.

First of all the gallery has a long tradition of presenting and promoting work by artists from the immediate area. There has never been any suggestion that this will change.

In fact our new space in Penzance will enable us to show some of that work in the type of space never before available to artists in Cornwall.

If the gallery's programming were to be summed up in a line it would be to show the best of contemporary art produced locally and regionally in a national and international context. We as an organisation have never been better equipped to do this.

Some have claimed a bland diet of international work is all there is to look forward to. Others have stated only installation projects will appear at The Exchange. Both statements are absolutely wrong as our next six months programme will show.

The forthcoming exhibition at Newlyn is a group show by 24 members of the NSA (Newlyn Society of Artists) which responds to the work of the Newlyn School artists. Following that is a project entitled Farming Families led by the Penwith-based artist and film-maker Barbara Santi. The exhibition will show the results of a two-year project including work by Barbara and the four farming families with whom she has collaborated.

In January of next year Newlyn painter Michael Porter will present a major survey show at The Exchange - the first of many painting shows in the new gallery.

As Jeremy Le Grice knows very well, I have no interest in programming only international work, or developing a programme that is indistinguishable from those developed by other leading contemporary art galleries in this country or abroad. The programme at Newlyn and The Exchange must and will reflect the particularity of this region. Newlyn Art Gallery and now The Exchange are Cornish institutions and it would be quite wrong for them to attempt to be anything else. But I feel very strongly that the best contemporary art now being made here deserves an international platform. The gallery cannot provide this if it only shows the work of artists operating within a stone's throw.

Jeremy Le Grice asserted in a recent article that I have no knowledge, interest or sympathy for any art being produced at present in the locality. This is simply untrue. I have had numerous meetings with artists to discuss their work, projects and proposals since joining the gallery and am of course interested to see work by others. I am regularly contacted by artists about their work and would encourage others to contact the gallery too. If you have sent material to me or colleagues at the gallery and haven't yet had a response, please bear with us. We will be in touch.

And so, has the galleries' launch programme been a disaster, as readers might reasonably conclude from recent letter here? Are the buildings empty? Well by the time this is printed we will have welcomed our 19,000th visitor. An attendance figure any public gallery of our size would be delighted with.

Do all of our visitors love the shows? No, but thumbing through our comments book it is evident that many found them "profoundly moving", "wonderful", "uplifting" and "inspiring". Others said of The Exchange, it was "by far the best thing to happen to this place (Penzance)", "completely blown away - why has Cornwall had to wait so long for something so fantastic", "a refreshing breath of fresh air and new ideas".

Frustratingly, these same people appear not to be letter writers but according to our front of house volunteers these opinions have been shared by, not all, but the majority of our visitors over the summer.

It is too early to know how the national arts press will view the launch programme but comment in the architectural press has been unambiguous and effusive. Jonathan Glancey in the Guardian describe both buildings as "small yet powerful triumphs".

I and the galleries staff are far from complacent after the first two months of operation and we recognise there are huge challenges ahead. We also understand that listening to the views of visitors and non-visitors is a crucial part of moving the organisation forward.

article published by WESTERN MORNING NEWS 

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