Closing…For Now

It’s been coming for a while, but we’re sad to announce that after nine years this show will be the last Bus Projects show to be held at our space at 177 Little Lonsdale Street.

For several years now our landlord, Wesley Mission, has been making plans to demolish our premises to make way for a multi-story office block and we’ve been hunting like mad for a space for two years, unsure of what the exit day would be. So while we knew we’d have to move one day, and we’re been working solidly and unsuccessfully for two years to find a new venue, dates were loose and operations of the gallery continued as usual.

In December 2009 those plans were made official and we were given a date of 21st March to vacate our premises.

As some of you will know, the current ARI model is one which functions well if rents are low allowing the organisation to offer affordable exhibition space to artists. High rents mean that fees for exhibition space rise to the point where they are unaffordable to artists and the ARI model collapses.

In the absence of funding for rental expenses the only option is for an ARI to find a location where rental rates – in reference to the current premises – are 10% of the market rate. A task that is near impossible to achieve under any reasonable, time-restricted scenario.

Far from being a nail in our coffin, we are choosing to make this news a catalyst for a radical change in how Bus operates.

As they say, “It ain’t over till the fat lady sings”

So while we haven’t given up on the hunt for a bricks-and-motar premises, no home means we need to take things to the street. Literally.

We’ve commissioned a mobile exhibition space to be created in the form of a custom fitted Bus (wasn’t it obvious?).

Scheduled to open in May, the new mobile Bus (and all the associated puns) is going to open up a host of exciting new opportunities.

Stay tuned for details of appearances.

In the meantime, we still need volunteers to help us get things ready, we’re still running forums (details for the next one is due in the next day or so), and things are still full steam ahead.

Hey, we’ve got a closing party to organise and it’s going to be massive!

Thanks for all your support over the years and we hope you can keep it coming.