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The Arts Council of Wales (ACW) has issued a strongly worded response to a major consultation exercise relating to the future development of the National Museums and Galleries of Wales (NMGW), implying that its proposals for contemporary art in Wales do not go far enough to address the ?clear need for contemporary Welsh art to have a permanent platform....for Welsh artists to display their work in an international context.?

An initial summary of responses to the latest stage of the consultation, which began in February 2001, is shortly to be presented to the National Assembly for Wales. This will include responses to three proposals for the future display of art in Wales. To widen the reach of the national collection, it is proposed to develop NMGW?s existing Partnership Programme and establish a network of venues around Wales which exchange and display art, creating a ?national gallery without walls?. The partners would be based in a range of locations, to provide the widest possible access to art across Wales and to encourage collaborative local approaches to presenting national collections for regional audiences. This concept would be further extended under a second proposal, to establish a digital online gallery of images, with supporting research. A third proposal is for a stand-alone national gallery as a permanent space to house the National Collection, either by creating a regional gallery outside Cardiff, opening a new gallery in a building in Cardiff, separate from the existing National Museum & Gallery at Cathays Park, or building a north wing to the existing building at Cathays Park. But ACW makes it clear in its response, that with the closure of Cardiff?s ill-fated Centre for Visual Arts, establishing a base for contemporary Welsh art should be a priority. Chairman Sybil Crouch said ?There?s a definite buzz surrounding the Welsh visual arts scene at the moment, and recent developments such as the establishing of the Artes Mundi Prize, and Wales? first involvement in the Venice Biennale of Art, underlie the need to secure future display provision of the highest standard for Welsh art.? Referring to ACW?s vision for the role that contemporary art should play at NMGW, she likened the relationship to ?that of Tate Britain to its Tate Modern sibling, the one complementing the other, with the latter offering a constantly changing stage for modern art.? But NMGW Director Michael Tooby has pointed out the dangers of simply choosing between a new gallery for the National Collection and a new space for contemporary art, and highlights the importance already placed on contemporary art under the three proposals currently being considered. He said ?This is a seriously under-funded sector where the debate should be about additionality, not about choosing between alternatives. Scotland has recognised the importance of supporting a National Gallery and a National Museum as well as high quality permanent spaces for contemporary art, and a similar model must surely be a priority for Wales.?