A War of Words......

 

Sandwell Council leader calls The Public 'giant shoe box'

The BBC reported again in August 2013 that the then Leader of Sandwell MBC, Darren Cooper (who sadly died in March 2016), stated to BBC WM "To me, on the outside, it looks like a shoe box," said Mr Cooper, speaking to BBC WM. "I am not trying to wind anyone up. I don't personally think it's an iconic building."

"Many people do. Some of my councillor colleagues think it's an iconic building. For me it looks like a giant shoe box with a few pink windows drawn round the outside." 

Be it a shoe box or not, the building was costing Sandwell Tax payers approximately £1.6 million a year, which during the time of austerity and with the Government reducing funds to councils, could not be sustained. BBC Birmingham & Black Country 07.08.13

Mrs Linda Saunders seemingly disagreed stating to BBC WM: "We had 52,000 visitors last month and the reason people are coming is because it is iconic, it is exciting," she said.

Unfortunately, those figures seem to have come too late to save The Public.

The problem is that it was just like a big play centre - 

it hasn't been handled well from the start

The BBC continued to report on this fiasco of a building and seemingly its management style. The view of Lee Benson, from Number 9 gallery in Birmingham, on the decision to close The Public arts centre in West Bromwich in November was that "The problem is that it was just like a big play centre - it hasn't been handled well from the start." 

Mr Benson, the director of the contemporary art gallery which opened in 1999, said the closure was "very sad". Mr Benson believes there is already a shortage of places to show people "there's more to art than Tracey Emin and Damien Hirst".

"It's a lovely building - mad colours - if they'd put it into private hands it could have been a very successful project," he said. BBC Birmingham & Black Country 10.08.13

The building was subsequently rented out to Sandwell College and continues to be so.

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