by Matthew Kirwan
Dear Editor,
The proposed sale of the Walker Street Gallery by Greater Dandenong Council is short-sighted.
It shows a lack of vision and I will continue to fight against it on the outside as I did for eight years on the inside as a Councillor.
The former City of Dandenong purchased the building in 1988, converting the old Dandenong Fire Station and converting it to create the Fire Station Community Arts Centre and Gallery.
Over the years it morphed into the Walker Street Gallery but the community arts component was still there, most recently with Connections Art Space as tenants.
The issue was lack of space – there wasn’t enough space for a both a professional arts gallery and a community arts centre.
The new gallery is an exciting elite destination regional gallery for Greater Dandenong.
It will attract tourists.
However if in the process it involves selling Walker St Gallery we lose a dedicated community arts space for our own community.
Why take two steps forward and one step backward?
Keeping Walker Street Gallery meant the possibility of an adequately-sized community arts space in Dandenong as well.
Connection Arts Space, a Dandenong icon run by young artists themselves and benefiting the youth of this city, are now homeless with no location yet identified for them.
Finding a location for them in any odd building (maybe a sporting pavilion because that is where the Greater Dandenong Band ended up) seems silly given they have a perfect location already.
However the homely Walker Street Gallery should not just be kept for Connections Art Space but also for future generations of Greater Dandenong residents that want to have art classes, form arts-and-craft-related community groups in a approachable community setting.
Organisations like Wellsprings for Women know how important setting is for many in our community, particularly disadvantaged and unwell people who can benefit from arts therapy programs but can be intimidated by gleaming, elite buildings.
In achieving an elite destination art gallery the Council must not leave behind the need for arts facilities for our own community.
Matthew Kirwan, Noble Park
