An independent art gallery has found a new home in Wrexham

The Leader reported last year that the Wrexham Independent Gallery was facing closure if it could not find the money to pay the rent at its premises in the Butcher’s Market, with trustees saying a decline in membership and failure to secure grant aid has hit hard.

However, the gallery has announced on Facebook that they have obtained a new home for the next three years on Lord Street in Wrexham town centre, while describing their excitement for the future.

A spokesperson for tWIG has said:

“We have been in discussions, on and off, for several weeks, with the company that is in the process of developing Lord St in Wrexham town centre.

“They are very keen to establish a creative ethos in the area and are equally keen for tWIG to become a part of this. To this end we have managed to negotiate a favourable three-year contract on No 17 Lord St; next door to Vasco da Gama.

“Footfall in this area is reasonably good, especially on a Monday, when the market is in full swing. The café next door does a brisk trade and there are other thriving businesses in the area. It is handy for the bus station, car parking and the centre of town. The landlords are actively seeking new tenancies as opposed to being content to let their properties remain empty as some other companies seem to be.

“The gallery space is much larger than any we have had before, some 40 ft by 17 [60m2]. There is a similar area upstairs which we plan to use for workshops and studio space. Upstairs there is also a loo and kitchen unit. Our long-term plans include looking for funding to put in disabled facilities downstairs, but this is for the future. There is parking for one car at the rear.

“This is a wonderful opportunity for tWIG. We will be able to expand and put down roots; to really establish ourselves. We have been talking to some of you in general terms about gallery supervision and one of the most popular ideas is for people to set up and do their own work while they are in the gallery. If you would be happy to do this, please let us know; also, if you just want to volunteer without bringing any work – I know some of you value the peace and quiet – although, hopefully, we will be a lot busier.

“We are asking for you to support us by submitting as wide a range of work as possible for exhibition; remember that we will have more room for larger pieces and 3-dimensional work. We will be charging a £2 hanging fee per work or display of smaller craft work plus our usual 20% commission on sales. As stated above we also want to reinvigorate the volunteer system and make the new gallery a vibrant, welcoming place.

“As we are in the process of re-inventing the tWIG brand, we are calling for your ideas on how we can make the new premises work better for us. Anyone who would like to help out financially can do so through our Local Giving page.”