***POST UPDATED – SEE END***
Supporters of Buxton Museum and Art Gallery (BMAG) are being urged to attend a mass photo opportunity at 11am on Saturday 8 June outside Buxton Museum & Art Gallery.
The event, organised by the We Are Buxton Community Forum, of which Vision Buxton is a member, has been timed to mark the anniversary of its closure in June 2023.
BMAG, operated by Derbyshire County Council (DCC), was abruptly closed on 1 June 2023 following the discovery of dry rot in the building’s structural timbers, posing a safety risk. Despite promises of a resolution, there has been little information about the process so far or the options for the medium and long term.
In 2017, BMAG enjoyed a £1.5m redevelopment thanks to funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund, Wolfson Foundation, Derbyshire County Council, Arts Council England and other benefactors. The Museum & Art Gallery saw record visitor numbers in 2019 and 2022, and has been a cultural staple in the community for decades.
The lack of information has raised questions and fears that BMAG as we know it will be significantly reduced or scrapped altogether. Alongside an article highlighting this, we launched a petition in March for the public to show their support for BMAG. It has gathered nearly 5,000 signatures at the time of writing.
The petition urges DCC to clarify future plans for the BMAG building and the important collections it houses. Since the launch of the petition, assurances have been received that the local authority is committed to BMAG returning, although when, where and how remains to be confirmed. Interim and pop-up options are being explored whilst a long-term solution can be found and put in place.
“With DCC’s reassurances in front of us and the active support and testimonials of 5000 people behind us, I feel we are in a better place than a few months ago. The gathering on 8 June will further help demonstrate the depth of feeling within the community and their frustration at the apparent lack of progress by the County Council.”
Roddie MacLean, chairman of Vision Buxton
DCC Leader, Cllr Barry Lewis, has been invited to come to Buxton on 8 June to receive the petition and provide the townspeople with information about the options and plans for preventing the permanent loss of this valuable local asset and facility.
This event reflects concerns that the closure, coinciding with DCC’s significant budget deficit and subsequent spending freeze in September 2023, will make it particularly challenging to resolve. The public event aims to highlight the scale of passion that the local community feel for BMAG and the valuable contribution that it has made to education, tourism, and cultural expression over the years.
The We Are Buxton Community Forum is calling for as many people a possible to come along and show their support for BMAG on 8 June. Gather in The Green Man Gallery yard behind the museum at 10:40am, then people will be asked to move down to fill the ramp, entrance and pavement area for 11am when the petition will be handed over and we hope to hear from Cllr Lewis. Attendees are being reminded that this is a photo opportunity so they should let organisers know and not be in shot if they do not want to be in the pictures.
“It is important to show DCC how much we miss this excellent institution and to hear what has and will be done to ensure that the absence is only temporary. Please come along and show your support, we want a big crowd!”
Jean Ball, Chair of the We Are Buxton Community Forum.
There is still time to sign the petition: https://www.change.org/p/save-buxton-museum-art-gallery-from-permanent-closure
***UPDATE*** 30.05.2024
Since the above was posted, our petition has reached over 5,000 signatures! Thank you to everyone who has signed this petition in support of BMAG.
Furthermore, DCC has announced that BMAG will not be returning to Peak Buildings, which is to be put up for sale: read their statement on the DCC website here.
This now raises concerns around the short-term and long-term future of BMAG, keeping the BMAG collections together and in Buxton and the future of Peak Buildings.
Marking one year since its closure, the mass gathering planned by WAB to show solidarity and support for BMAG on Saturday 8 June at 11am at Peak Buildings is still going ahead. If you are able to join us, please meet at 10.40am in The Green Man Gallery yard just round the corner.
WAB has issued the following statement:
“Whilst we welcome the commitment expressed by DCC to there being a future for BMAG, we remain concerned that a new home is sought for this valuable collection and that another of Buxton’s heritage buildings has an uncertain future. We need DCC to ensure that a suitable, long-term solution is swiftly secured with a view to establishing a viable single venue for the collection in Buxton. We support DCC efforts to establish extensive and ongoing interim activities to ensure that the museum and gallery remain accessible to as many people as possible.
We will mark the one year anniversary with a show of support on Saturday 8 June 2024 at 11am. The aim is to gather as many people as possible, of all ages, for a photo opportunity on the steps of the closed Terrace Road building. This is an opportunity to show the strength of feeling locally about the loss of this special place, the cultural activities and heritage collections and archives that have contributed so much to so many. The photo opportunity will be effective IF we can get lots of people to come along on 8th June.
DCC has been invited to receive the ‘Save BMAG’ petition on 8th June. The photo op event will take place even if DCC choose not to send a representative. If we don’t get to hand over the petition on 8th we will deliver it the following week when 4 WAB representatives have been invited to meet with DCC colleagues to discuss the future of BMAG. We are confident that this meeting would not be taking place if the Save BMAG campaign had not raised the profile of the value that BMAG brings to our town.”
The We Are Buxton Community Forum (WAB), made up of eight local, not-for-profit community groups working in-and-for the town, has unanimously agreed to support a Love BMAG Campaign. WAB spokesperson, Jean Ball, says:
“The public gathering at 11am on 8 June will go ahead under the slogan “We love BMAG”. It is a brief moment to demonstrate the love felt by Buxtonians for the prestigious Museum and Art Gallery which first opened on Terrace Road in 1928 having formerly been housed in the Town Hall. We are aiming for a visual show of strength with a good size crowd for the photo. Can you spare half an hour to help illustrate how much BMAG is missed and the importance of a positive sustainable future for our cultural and heritage resources? Please come along!”
Participants should assemble in The Green Man Gallery yard next door to the museum at 10:40am, prior to moving down the slope to pose around the BMAG entrance on Terrace Road for the photo. Children and well-behaved dogs are welcome. The press have been invited, a drone camera has been booked, and the event will go ahead rain or shine.