Crawford Art Gallery shuts its doors to begin renovation works
Gallery chair Rose McHugh and director Mary McCarthy prepare to close the doors of the Crawford Art Gallery for an ambitious two-and-a-half year redevelopment project. Picture: Joleen Cronin
Cork's Crawford Art Gallery closed its doors on an old chapter on Sunday, as work begins on a two-and-a-half-year renovation of the iconic building.
Designed by Grafton Architects and set to be delivered by the Office of Public Works (OPW) and Crawford Art Gallery, the overhaul will add 50% more space for storage and exhibitions.
A five-storey extension will be added to the building and a new restaurant will be built too.
Most of the Crawford's 3,500 artworks will be kept in storage, but some have found temporary homes at the Cork Public Museum, the Hugh Lane Gallery in Dublin, and Hillsborough Castle in Co Down.
Gallery director Mary McCarthy described yesterday's closure to facilitate the €29m project as a "threshold moment".
"It's bittersweet in one way as we know we are closing the doors of an organisation that is really loved by the public and will be deeply missed," she told the .
"However, we feel that loyalty.
"This will transform the Crawford into a really significant visitor attraction and make all the bits of it that people love even better.
"The renovation is going to ensure that the gallery is conserved and the three buildings enhanced.
"There will also be a new education facility which we are very excited about. It's a very significant transformation of these beautiful buildings.
"Our hope is to continue to expand the collection and work with more artists in Cork and nationally.
"Accommodating the public comfortably is our priority at this time. At the moment, I am conscious that the visitor experience is a little less than it should be."
Staff will be on site until February to facilitate the removal of the artworks. About half the collection is already gone, Ms McCarthy added.
She extended her gratitude to the people of Cork for their unwavering loyalty.
"We stayed open longer than we anticipated because we wanted to facilitate the public during the summer and Culture Night," she said.
"People are really showing their love and appreciation. You can see people today lingering by their favourite parts of the building and artworks.
"It's a beautiful series of buildings, and we are very fortunate to have this right in the city centre."
She urged the public to continue their support of the gallery.
"We know from covid that time goes very fast and we'll be keeping in touch with the public," she said.
"We would like for people to sign up to our newsletters. We are also touring the collection, so there will be a lot of activities over the two-and-a-half years. We will be super busy with the activity and also planning the reopening."
