John Hansard Gallery Director, Stephen Foster and members of his staff donned their hard hats recently to visit Southampton’s New Arts Complex, under construction on Guildhall Square.
They were shown around the gallery site in the complex’s south building by representatives of Galliford Try, the construction company undertaking the internal work, to witness the fast-paced progress of the fit-out.
Other recent visitors to the New Arts Complex have included Darren Henley, Chief Executive of Arts Council England, and Phil Gibby, South West Arts Council England Area Director, who were given a guided tour by John Denham, Chair of Southampton Cultural Development Trust and James Gough, Director of Culture Southampton. Darren Henley described it as a ‘fantastic building’ and spoke of the ‘rich cultural offer’ available in Southampton.
Visitors to the New Arts Complex site will note that a number of new restaurants are now up and running on the ground floor, attracting visitors – and curiosity – ahead of the John Hansard Gallery’s arrival in October 2016.