Dundee contemporary arts

Charles Douglas looks in on Dundee's thriving arts centre

The concept for a multi-purpose visual arts centre in the City of Dundee was under discussion for almost a decade before it became a reality in 1999. At the time, Dundee's city fathers were looking to regenerate a district that had been historically been in decline.

Part of their thinking, of course, was to provide a focus for the students and graduates of the Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design (now a faculty of the University of Dundee) and to build upon the work of those involved with the Seagate Gallery, now closed, and the Dundee Printmakers' Workshop.

In 1995, a partnership was formed between Dundee City Council, the University of Dundee, and a newly-formed company, Dundee Contemporary Arts. Asemi-derelict garage, at the time being used as an unofficial skate park, was purchased in the city's Nethergate and an international design competition was launched to create a new building. In July 1996, this was won by the innovative Scottish architect Richard Murphy, and the resulting £9 million exhibition and administrative spaces have since been hailed as a triumph.

Only a short stroll from Dundee's High Street and railway Station, Dundee Contemporary Arts (DCA) currently attracts in excess of 300,000 visitors a year. With its five floors consisting of art gallery, print studio, two-screen cinema, a visual research centre, and shop, DCAtoday acts as a catalyst for all aspects of the visual and performance arts, providing forums for discussion and debate which ...

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• By : Charles Douglas
• In : Art and Antiques
• Issue : 39
• Page : 58
• Words : 818