Czech Budějovice councilors are saving, will close the gallery

České Budějovice - The city council of České Budějovice is saving due to the economic crisis. At the last meeting, they decided to close the Dům umění gallery, although they originally promised it would operate until this year because the curator has scheduled eight exhibitions mostly featuring foreign artists. The operational costs of 1.1 million crowns are, according to the councilors, untenable, and the activities must be ended as quickly as possible, said Deputy Mayor Rudolf Vodička to journalists today.
    Dům umění, along with the cultural centers Slávie and Vltava, was managed by the company Městské kulturní domy. The councilors sent this company into liquidation. From February, the buildings will pass into the direct administration of the city. The city can then easily rent them out but may also sell them to have funds for co-financing European projects.
    The future of the cultural properties will be discussed again by the councilors in two weeks. In the meantime, they approved financing for the operation of the buildings at the beginning of the year. According to Vodička, the management should then announce a tender for the tenants of the spaces.
    Since 1998, the gallery in Dům umění in the central square has been organizing exhibitions focused on contemporary visual art and architecture. Curator Martin Škoda considers the councilors' decision to be unethical. "At the beginning of the year, the mayor guaranteed me that by the end of 2011, I could count on the gallery being where it is, and if the building were to be sold, it would be with the commitment of scheduled exhibitions. If something unexpected happened, a space would then be sought where the gallery could continue its activities," Škoda told ČTK today. He described it as a short-sighted decision, suggesting that the city likely wants to sell the building.
    The fate of the cultural center Slávie is also uncertain. The monument-protected building needs reconstruction, which, along with potential expansions, would cost hundreds of millions of crowns. There is great interest in the building on the embankment. It was considered that it could serve a professional theater scene, but an Open Amateur Theater Scene could also be created there. This project was offered to the city on behalf of theater practitioners last November by Václav Krištůfek, head of the J.K. Tyl Theater Company. Altogether, six amateur scenes with 220 members could find appropriate facilities in Slávie. The city has not yet commented on the project.
    In the game for Slávie, there is a new project that will be discussed on Friday. After last year's successful exhibition "Games and Puzzles," there could possibly emerge the First Interactive Educational and Entertainment Center for Youth. The project, focused on the practical application of scientific results and their popularization, could receive up to 100% European funding. It could also provide millions for the building's renovation, hinted the deputy. The city must submit the application by June 30. The non-profit organization would handle the substantive aspect.
    Cultural center Vltava will likely continue its activities until 2014 because it has been rented long-term.