The Public gallery unveiled to visitors
Controversial arts centre The Public's long-awaited interactive gallery finally opened its doors today – more than a year behind schedule.
The trouble-plagued gallery inside West Bromwich's £67 million centre has been dogged by technical problems for the past 12 months.
Visitors are welcomed into the area along a winding ramp in the building's upper reaches and promised a "unique multi-media arts experience".
The Public opened in June last year, but its gallery remained shut indefinitely after interactive exhibits were found to have technical problems. In February, Public Gallery Ltd went into administration.
The Arts Council agreed to a £3million handout to Sandwell Council to keep the centre running until 2012.
The gallery is free to enter, after a controversial ticket pricing scheme was scrapped, but will only be open to members of the public three days a week.
Visitors are met with a forest of metal trees and some touch screens featuring black-and-white photographs of the Black Country. The Public general manager Linda Saunders said: "Everybody here is just really excited."
