Iconic city arts hub seeks forever home
The people of Cork have responded overwhelmingly in support of the reopening of an iconic arts hub in the city centre.
The Camden Palace Hotel Community Arts Centre on Camden Quay was forced to close its doors in 2017 after operating for 9 years with no state funding. The building has since been demolished.
The centre provided a crucial space and a platform for visual artists, actors, musicians, singers, and performers of every sort to collaborate, inspire and support each other.
However, a new campaign has begun to gain significant traction on Leeside for the purchase of a premises in the city centre to become the arts centre’s new “forever home”.
Those behind the centre, a small group of dedicated individuals, plan to purchase 4,000 square metres somewhere in the city centre as part of a multi-million euro project.
Going by the feedback the campaign has received so far, the group plan to install a theatre/rehearsal/performance space, a series of different sized workshops, a number of affordable artist studios, an art house cinema, a dark room, a recording studio, a film studio, a theatre props and costumes library, an exhibition space, an online radio station/podcast creation space, and much more.
Speaking to the Cork Independent, Camden Quay Community Arts Centre Chairperson Dave McCarthy said the group is beyond excited and “not daunted” at all by the project.
“There is an old maxim that there is never a shortage of money, only a shortage of good ideas,” said Mr McCarthy.
“All we need to resume is to have our own space. In the past 2 weeks the response to our question has been overwhelming. Not only in the number of replies, but in the heartfelt feedback, in the ideas that have been generated, and in the generosity of support that has been offered.”
Mr McCarthy said if there had been any doubt previously about going forward with the project, they are now well and truly put to bed.
The group had initially hoped to take over and renovate another derelict building but after several years and only a few promising leads, they have decided to take matters into their own hands and buy their own premises.
“We stopped only because our building on Camden Quay was sold by NAMA. They said if we wanted to buy it, we had 6 weeks to raise €1 million. That was never going to happen,” said Mr McCarthy.
He continued: “What makes us particularly attractive is that when we reach our fundraising target, the organisation is self-sustaining. Even though our tickets to shows are priced really modestly and allowing for the fact that many of our activities are free or entry is by donation, our model of management allows us to generate a surplus every year, which we reinvest in better equipment and materials.”
The full details of the fundraising campaign will be announced in the coming weeks. In the meantime, the group is eager to hear more feedback from artists on how the community arts centre can support emerging artists while having a positive impact on the people of Cork.