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	The Big Picture
	Public Policy - The political and economic context and the changes in political attitudes over the last twenty years have been critical to the success of projects like The New Art Gallery. The economic changes brought about by the Thatcher years, the drive for more competitive industry, new approaches to industrial relations and an increasing emphasis on competition are central to the immediate context in which the Gallery has materialised. Towns and cities are also now increasingly aware that they need to be attractive, image conscious places where people want to live and work, and which can attract inward investment. As part of an increasingly competitive approach to the distribution of Government funds for urban regeneration, the concept of City Challenge was introduced by the Conservative Government in the early 1990's. This innovation followed a series of initiatives aimed at tackling run-down urban areas and the development of an 'enterprise culture' which has included Enterprise Zones, Urban Development Corporations and Housing Action Trusts. In 1993 Walsall Metropolitan Borough Council successfully applied for funding under the City Challenge programme and established the Walsall City Challenge Board. The regeneration of Walsall town centre was at the heart of the City Challenge application and the Board's subsequent programme. Developments aimed at revitalising the town centre were the a major canal side site and retail and leisure facilities, of which The New Art Gallery was a key ingredient. Unusually for a local authority the relationship of art to urban regeneration had been central to its thinking for some time and the City Challenge application placed the ideas for a new art gallery right at the forefront of its social and economic regeneration strategy. Although increasing recognition is now given to the important role the arts can play in urban regeneration, it was extremely unusual at that time for a City Challenge programme to place such a crucial emphasis on the arts. The placement of a major new cultural institution at the heart of a regeneration strategy was a distinctive feature in Walsall's City Challenge application, an important factor in its success and demonstrated Walsall's innovative approach to social, economic and cultural planning. The improvement of local transport and communications infrastructures and the transformation of housing stock and large areas of industrial dereliction were also central elements of the Board's programme. The nine City Challenge strategic objectives, implemented over the five year life of the programme, were as follows: *Radical transformation of major areas of dereliction including flagship projects such as The New Art Gallery development. (Flagship projects were a major part of the qualitative improvements initiated through City Challenge and were integral to thinking about the profile and perception of Walsall, and its ability to generate wealth - creating new businesses and inward investment *Creating a robust and self sustaining local economy *Improving skill levels, instilling quality methods and opening up access to employment * Improving the housing stock, giving greater choice to tenants and owners * Creating a sustainable and significant improvement in the environment * Developing creative well informed communities exercising their voice in decision making * Improving safety and providing a more stimulating environment *Improving patient, health and social care.Sharing commitment and ownership of the Vision Central to the City Challenge application and the delivery of the Board's objectives is the notion of 'Partnership'. 'Partnership has been a key word on the City Challenge agenda since the beginning. The successful implementation of all aspects of the programme has materialised only because the Local Authority, private and public sector organisations and local communities have worked together to realise aims and get results.' (Sarah Middleton - Chief Executive). City Challenge reflects several different kinds of partnership. The Board itself is made up of people from different walks of life including business, industry and the community. It has actively built a range of relationships with the Metropolitan Borough Council, the Government Office of the West Midlands, the Arts Lottery, Health Trusts and Authorities, Housing and Tenant Associations and local colleges, universities, TECs and Business Links. Local tenants and community members have been successfully integrated into teams carrying out City Challenge programmes in order to integrate a range of community interests into projects. The New Art Gallery is as much a part of this approach as any other process - the relationship of the Gallery to the community and the way that relationship reflects the Gallery's programming and operation are key factors in its success. City Challenge has now ended its five year programme of work which has included a wide range of health, community development, housing, education, industrial, commercial and arts and leisure initiatives. The City Challenge programme has impacted directly upon the quality of life in Walsall today and is the immediate political and economic context for the Gallery. Another major change in national funding policies occurred in 1995 when the National Lottery was first introduced. Lottery legislation, which stipulated that a proportion of Lottery ticket sales should be distributed to the arts, sports, heritage, charity and millennium projects, has resulted in millions of pounds being made available to the Arts Council of England. The availability of this new money from the Arts Council, initially to be used for capital building projects, released a torrent of applications for funding including a number of highly innovative and creative building projects. Among these was The New Art Gallery Walsall - one of the very few purpose built galleries to be constructed outside of London since the Second World War, and one of the earliest and largest out-of-London lottery projects to be awarded. Lottery processes have been instrumental in promoting quality - particularly design excellence, access and the integration of the arts and architecture. Rigorous application, appraisal and monitoring systems, which can take up to two years to assess and approve, are used to establish large capital project's viability. This includes an assessment of aesthetic and business viability and the project's potential impact on arts development and urban regeneration locally and regionally. Having applied for Lottery funding in 1995, the Arts Council of England awarded a Lottery grant to Walsall MBC in late 1996, and particularly commended it for its commitment to excellence, community participation, audience development and architectural innovation. The Lottery was not the only other funding anchor for The New Art Gallery. Substantial support came from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) under Objective 2, Priority 5 (Culture and Tourism) which, administered by the Regional Government Office of the West Midlands, has been fundamental to much of the regeneration of the Region. This funding was achieved by the project's ability to generate local employment opportunities and contribute to the economic regeneration of Walsall. It was not by chance that Walsall was ready to go early in the Lottery and ERDF processes. City Challenge had already created parameters in which the Gallery was taking a high profile and the Gallery itself was well placed to take advantage of any possible funding opportunities which came along. In 1989 Peter Jenkinson was appointed as the new Director of the Museum and Art Gallery and one of the earliest priorities he faced was to develop a new art gallery for Walsall. Architects were appointed to design a new building; a site was identified opposite the existing gallery; a full design scheme was developed; fund raisers were appointed and there was local commitment and political will to see the project through if funding could be found. Although this development never came to fruition, it equipped the Gallery team with skills and experience of working with architects and design teams and helped position them to take advantage of the new political and funding opportunities emerging through the Lottery, City Challenge and the European Regional Development Fund. In 1991/2 all these strands were beginning to converge. This resulted in funding of £25 million made up as follows: Walsall MBC (made up from land valued) £0.5m Arts Lottery £15.75m City Challenge £4.5m European Regional Development Fund £4.5m References and Bibliography: SCHOOL OF PUBLIC POLICY, UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM, Walsall City Challenge Baseline Audit Summary Report, 1994. WALSALL MBC, Building for People; Walsall City Challenge, 1992 WALSALL MBC, Building for People; Walsall City Challenge Action Plan; 1993-4 WALSALL MBC, Final Review Walsall City Challenge, 1997
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