Model Arts and Niland Gallery


The Model, home of the Niland Collection, formerly called Model Arts and Niland Gallery, is a contemporary arts centre and gallery space in Sligo, Ireland. The Model houses several exhibition spaces focusing on contemporary art and education activities, a collection of 20th-century Irish art called The Niland Collection, a cinema/venue for concerts, and an artist-in-residence programme. The Niland part of the name refers to the former Sligo County librarian Nora Niland.

Location

Located on the Mall in Sligo town, north of the Garavogue river, The Model is one of Sligo's most distinctive buildings, designed by architect James Owen for the then Board of Works. Its detailed stonework exhibits high-quality workmanship and its location, set back from the mall on an elevated site gives it a civic presence. It is a detached multiple-bay, two-storey rubble and ashlar stone building in the Italianate Palazzo style. A photo of the Model school as it looked circa 1944 is held at the Lawrence collection of the National Library of Ireland.

History

The original building was a purpose built school, constructed in 1862, by local contractors Messrs Patrick Keighron & Son at a cost of £8000. These schools were known as "model" schools as they were to function as the template for primary schools throughout the country. Originally intended to be multi-denominational, the school became predominantly Protestant with the religious control of schools being the norm under the new Free State. The Model provided primary education up to the age of 12.
In the 1970s the building was abandoned with the building of a new primary school across the road.
In the early 1990s it was acquired by Sligo County Council with the intention of providing a museum.

First refurbishment and extension

The building was refurbished and extended in 2001. The project was designed by McCullough Mulvin Architects. This extension was shortlisted for several architectural awards.

Second extension

The Model was redeveloped for a second time as part of Sligo County Council's vision to create a Cultural Quarter for Sligo Town. The intention was to extend The Model facilities with a purpose built theatre space and a suite of artists' studios, coupled with two completely new builds on an adjacent site, to house both a new Sligo County Museum and Sligo Library. Neither of the other projects went ahead due to the unfolding economic crash.
Designed by this extension to The Model increased the building by a third in size. The extension provided artist studios, a purpose-built performance space and a new entrance from the north. The extension also created a complete gallery circuit for the visitor, a new reception area, bookstore and cafe. Works commenced in January 2008 and the Model reopened on May 1, 2010,

Funding for Second Redevelopment

A grant of €2.4 million was provided by the BMW Regional Assembly under an ERDF grant scheme for designated Gateways and Hub Towns. The Model:Niland project was the largest beneficiary in the BMW Region under the grant scheme. A further grant of 1.75 million euro was received from Access 2 funding under the Arts Council. Sligo Borough Council provided 600,000 euro in 2009. The €2.9 million grant, minus 600,000 already spent on groundworks for Sligo museum was switched to the Model Arts project in late 2008. A further 118,554 was granted in 2010 under the cultural development fund of the Arts Council. Sligo County Council spent 2.15 million on the Model Arts Centre project up to 2010. In addition, an audit noted that 340,000 euro worth of assets were transferred from Sligo County Council to the Model Arts centre in 2010. In all €6.4 million was borrowed by Sligo County Council in relation to a new Cultural Quarter for Sligo Town up to December 2010.

The Niland Collection

is named after former Sligo County librarian Nora Niland who began the collection in the 1950s. It contains over 300 works, including pieces by Paul Henry, Louis le Brocquy, Estella Solomons, George Russell and Jack Butler Yeats. The Niland Collections boasts one of the most significant collections of Yeats work in Ireland, many of which record experiences and memories of his time living in Sligo and its environs. The Niland Collection is available to browse online via the Model website.

Directors and board members

The Model has been run by Interim Director Emer McGarry, since September 2015 to date, and also between May 2013 - September 2014. Una McCarthy, current director Limericky Gallery of Art. 2004
Sarah Glennie, current Director of the National College of Art and Design, was the Artistic Director of The Model between 2005 and 2008.
Séamus Kealy, currently Director of Salzburger Kunstverein, was the Director and Curator of The Model from 2008 to 2013.
Megan Johnston was director from September 2014 to June 2015.
The current board of directors includes Dr. Bláithín Gallagher, Mark Garry, Ronnie Hughes, Olivia Smith, Joe Gannon, Bartley Gavin, Cllr. Hubert Keaney, Cllr. Rosaleen O'Grady, Damien Tansey, Donal Tinney and Ana Leddy.

Artistic Programme

The Model is primarily a centre for contemporary visual art, and has presented exhibitions with many of the world's leading artists. The Model also has a vibrant music programme which includes an eclectic mix of contemporary and classical music. The Model develops music projects that respond to the exhibition programme, while also producing The Sligo New Music Festival and supporting The Sligo Festival of Baroque Music.
The Model's international film programme is presented in partnership with Sligo Film Society
The Model offers opportunities for all communities to encounter the arts, and since 2016 has run the groundbreaking programme for Sligo's new communities Sligo Global Kitchen.
Former artists in residence include Nasan Tur, Yorgos Sapountzis, Elizabeth Price, Barbara Breitenfellner, and Caoimhin O'Raghallaigh. The Model also has eight artist studios rented by locally based artists.
Previous notable exhibitions at The Model have included solo shows by Martin Creed, Phil Collins, Elizabeth Price, Sean McSweeney, Patti Smith, Gerard Byrne and Andy Warhol; as well as group exhibitions Turbulence, Ghosts of Other Stories, Medium Religion and The Keeper; To Have and to Hold.

Notable events

On May 20, 2015 the English royal, Prince Charles made a speech at the Model Arts centre during a visit to promote reconciliation to the scene of Lord Mountbattens death by an IRA bomb in 1979 at Mullaghmore, Co.Sligo.

Controversies

In 2009 a row erupted over the renaming of the centre. It was announced in June by director Seamus Kealy that the Model Arts and Niland Gallery was to be renamed as "The Model, home of The Niland Collection". Former President of the Yeats Summer School, Michael Keohane called the renaming a "public disgrace". The renaming was also called "absurd" by Bruce Arnold in an article in the Irish Independent in August 2009.
In 2010, under director Seamus Kealy, controversial chef Conrad Gallagher opened Conrads Kitchen, a fine dining restaurant in the Model Arts centre. Former chair of the Model's board, Bernadette O'Shea invited Conrad Gallagher to fill the role. "There was no doubt in my mind that Conrad was the man for this exciting venture. This new relationship with The Model, the country's leading contemporary cultural centre with an enviable international reputation, will pay off in spades for everyone," she said at the time. By June 2011 the restaurant had moved to Sligo town centre, citing "zero footfall". In July 2011 Irish Revenue commissioners ordered Gallagher to wind up his operations in Dublin and Sligo, neither had submitted accounts since incorporation the previous year and Gallagher was not listed as a director in either business.