
Glasgow’s Gallery of Modern Art Could Close as City Attempts to Balance Its Budget
The historic Gallery of Modern Art (GoMA) in Glasgow is among the dozens of museums, libraries, and community centers that could close as the city attempts to reduce its budget by $65 million. According to The Herald, the Glasgow City Council proposed moving GoMA’s collection and selling off the institution’s iconic building, which is often featured in brochures and marketing materials related to travel within the city, in a recent budget paper that is currently being reviewed by council members.
The paper states that the “re-provisioning of services” at GoMA as well as at St. Mungo’s Museum of Religious Life and Art and at Provand’s Lordshipone of only four surviving medieval buildings in Glasgowcould save the city $703,000. It also states that due to the revenue GoMA generates for the city, which is approximately $326,000 annually, the “disposal of the building” would be preferred over the closure of the institution.
While the budget paper stoked fears about the fate of GoMA’s landmark building, which is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Scotlandit drew more than 650,000 visitors in 2018David McDonald, a Scottish National Party (SNP) councilor, wrote on Twitter that every venue must be reviewed as part of the annual budget allocation and that “GoMA won’t close on the SNP’s watch so don’t panic.”
A representative of the city council said that the budget will be presented by the city treasurer Allan Gow on February 20, at which time other parties will be asked to present alternative proposals.