Watts Gallery: Hope Project The Restoration of Watts Gallery easy to answer as there is no other purpose built The centenary of Watts Gallery, the listed Arts & art gallery devoted to a single artist in Britain, there Crafts building which houses the studio collection is no other centre for Watts and the collection is of of the eminent Victorian artist G F Watts OM RA international importance, there is also the context (1817-1904), in 2004 was a moment of of the building as being sited in a “Watts village” celebration but also a moment of crisis. with the original kiln built by William de Morgan which fired the tiles for the cemetery, a monument The Gallery has ten Trustees, with wide experience to Watts on Pilgrim’s Way, Watts’ original Great in museums and galleries management, who all Studio, the Pottery and the Cemetery Chapel, contribute actively to securing the future of Watts making the Gallery and its collection of national Gallery. On the board of Trustees we have importance. “Who needs Watts Gallery?” was a representatives from the National Gallery and the difficult question to ask at a time when the National Portrait Gallery. Gallery was probably one of this country’s best kept secrets. PERDITA HUNT Watts Gallery has survived one hundred years Director, Watts Gallery without any public funding whatsoever. It has A term regularly used for Watts Gallery is ‘hidden Perdita Hunt is a trained arts administrator. relied on the original endowment established by gem’. Visitor numbers were ticking over at She has worked in senior positions at the Arts Council, Heritage Lottery Fund and Mary Seton Watts and the income from the approximately 12,000 a year and those who knew WWF-UK. In addition Perdita served as buildings on the Watts Gallery Estate. The staffing the Gallery wanted to keep it a secret! theatre projects co-ordinator at Chapter on the Gallery has relied upon the courageous Arts Centre in Cardiff, Marketing and Development Director at the Aldeburgh efforts of one curator and one assistant curator BBC Restoration Village was the key which Foundation in Suffolk and Press Advisor to for the past thirty years. In one hundred years unlocked the secret! Watts Gallery received the Suffolk Crafts Society. She is a Trustee of Baynards Zambia Trust. Perdita has been there were only four curators, and one of these most votes of any of the participating buildings Director at Watts Gallery since 2004 and was Wilfrid Blunt, brother of Anthony Blunt, over the two rounds of voting. As those of you was appointed to lead the £10m Watts who wrote the book on G F Watts entitled who watched the final will know, Watts Gallery Gallery Hope Project to save the future of Watts Gallery and its collection. England’s Michelangelo. was pipped to the post in the final count. Nevertheless, 86,000 people chose to vote for Over recent years there have never been sufficient Watts, and for a Gallery in Surrey, with a collection funds or resources to maintain the building and by an unknown Victorian artist, this was remarkable. the collection. The building is now officially listed This evidence provided the answer to the question by English Heritage as “at risk” and rain was regarding the importance of preserving Watts coming through the roof. The collection has a Gallery and its collection for future generations. backlog of over £1m of conservation work and The issue of the Gallery’s future was a dilemma. the environment and storage continues to What so appeals to many of our visitors is the damage the collection as well as the people who charm, Englishness and idiosyncrasy of the visit or work at the Gallery. Buckets were a regular building. So many of our supporters and visitors feature at the Gallery and during recent heavy have urged us not to lose these essential rains, new leaks have occurred including a characteristics. One Trustee describes it as the frightening flood in the picture store. Fortunately, importance of not becoming McGallery! through the rapid response of staff and volunteers, the collection has been protected from the worst However, like all powerful founding visions, there of the conditions. Work has now moved on the is scope for evolution and change at Watts Gallery. gallery and a huge scaffolding structure is now Watts was not only a great artist but he was also a encasing the building. social activist. He encouraged young painters, notably Val Prinsep, in their craft. As a Gallery we The centenary presented a powerful moment for feel that we should not only look backwards but the Trustees to address the needs of the Gallery. In also forwards. The Fenton Arts Trust Artist in setting out on this journey they asked themselves Residence scheme has provided that forward some key questions. What is the value of the impetus, bringing each year a final year student collection and the Gallery, who needs it and what from the University of Creative Arts to undertake should it become? The first question was fairly workshops with different groups, to be supported Summer Issue 2009 13 in their development and to stage an exhibition at the end of their The collection residency to promote their profile and work. The Gallery has now As part of the rescue mission for Watts Gallery, Trustees felt it established an annual Watts symposium held at the Gallery and also important to review the purpose and vision of the Gallery’s collection. at our partners, the Courtauld Institute, to explore 19th-century We are fortunate in being founded on a very clear and farsighted issues through the Watts lens. We have looked at social issues, vision of “Art for All”, with a clear purpose of promoting the work of spirituality and cities. Given the strong sense of place provided by the G F Watts and Mary Seton Watts and protecting the Gallery and its ‘Watts village’ in Compton, Trustees are being encouraged to collection for future generations. One hundred years on it was strengthen Watts Gallery as a centre of learning. This dream was appropriate to review these original concepts in the current century. hugely supported by the generous donation made to the Gallery by A brainstorm was held at the Paul Mellon Centre for British Art with Professor Rob Dickins CBE, one of the Gallery’s Trustees, when he leading experts and specialists in 19th-century art, as well as gave the Gallery a collection of over 4,500 photographs and letters representatives from our partner organisations such as the University of Victorian leaders, artists, celebrities for our archive and for of Creative Arts. The result of this discussion, plus further exhibition. consultations held with other stakeholders and among the Trustees, was a clear decision that Watts Gallery was first and foremost about Journey of Hope Watts. It should therefore strive to be always an international centre In starting out on the Hope Project the Trustees established six aims: of excellence for Watts. Secondarily, it has a purpose to promote the to save the building and the collection, increase access to the work of Mary Seton Watts. In developing the idea of “Art for All”, Collection, strengthen the role of Watts Gallery locally, nationally and we were encouraged to evolve Watts Gallery and Compton in general internationally, increase audience and income, and strengthen as a centre for exploring Victorian art, social history and craft. Compton as a centre for learning and study. As part of arriving at these objectives, the Gallery has undertaken a thorough review The collections policy for Watts Gallery is therefore to promote the through the development of a conservation management plan, a understanding and appreciation of the work of G F Watts and Mary business plan and the development of new policies. Seton Watts and preserve the gallery and its collection for the benefit of future generations. The Building The needs of the fabric of the building were to be addressed through The acquisitions and disposal policy for the Gallery recommends the a major capital bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund. As part of this, the acquisition of works by G F Watts, objects relating to Watts and to Gallery itself needed to raise matching funds. Through the the various concerns of Watts or Mrs Watts. The Gallery is a remarkable generosity of Trusts and Foundations, individuals and registered museum and is seeking accreditation status this year. local authorities, we have succeeded in raising sufficient funds to unlock a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund of £4.3m to With the support of a new Curator and after a number of undertake the capital work. The Gallery has secured planning consultations, the plans for the collection and its purpose are permission and listed building consent and work started on site in becoming more clearly articulated. January 2009. The architects Zombory Moldovan Moore are leading the project working with the conservation architect Dante Vanoli The key points arising from the development of the collections from Purcell Miller Tritton. The scheme for the project is largely strategy are: working with the current footprint of the Gallery, but will provide • We are about Watts first and foremost and we are about increased storage for the collection, access for people with Mary Watts second. disabilities to all the galleries, additional gallery space (using the now • We must ensure that Watts Gallery is not only refurbished derelict apprentice potters’ washroom), an education space with a but has a collections management policy which is sustainable – kiln and wetroom, landscaping of the grounds to create a Gertrude there is no point saving the building if we have no funds to Jekyll style garden, increased car parking and above all environmental look after the collection in the long term.