Walsall art gallery misses out on Turner Prize
Walsall's New Art Gallery has missed out in its bid to host the Turner Prize in 2015, it was announced today.
The Tramway in Glasgow has instead been chosen to host the contemporary arts prize in two years' time.
Bosses at the New Art Gallery today said they were "disappointed" to be told they had narrowly missed out.
But they said they were praised for their bid and have been offered the chance to work more closely with the prestigious Tate Gallery in London in the future.
Walsall leisure boss, Councillor Anthony Harris, said: "We're naturally disappointed but I think we can be richly proud of ourselves.
"To narrowly miss out to a national bid from Scotland is no disgrace and I think all those who worked on the bid can be proud that they helped put Walsall further on the arts map."
Figures drawn up by chiefs in Walsall had shown around £471,000 would have had to be budgeted for 2015 if the bid was successful.
He added bidding for the scheme, for which the gallery was shortlisted, had not cost the council any extra money but could have had a huge impact on the local economy had it been successful. The gallery began opening on Sundays as part of the bid.
"We calculated that winning could bring between £2 million and £5m into Walsall with all the visitors and extra attention this would bring," he said.
"This explains why we went for it. But what we got out of it is immense praise for our bid from the judges and even better than that, an offer from the Tate Gallery in London to work more closely together in the future and for our 15th birthday in 2015 which I am sure will bear fruit."
Stephen Snoddy, New Art Gallery director, said: "I know we impressed Tate UK and further showed that New Art Gallery Walsall is a real national player as our current Damien Hirst exhibition shows."
By Catehrine Dalton