The Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Art Museum has temporarily closed the Arts Hall building due to extensive repairs to the electrical system.
Henry Newman, chair of the Friends of the Art Museum, an organisation aimed at raising funds to assist the museum, said the building had fallen into disrepair, highlighting the infrastructural damage that it suffered over the years.
“We are deeply concerned about the situation,” Newman said.
“The Art Museum is the only institution in the Eastern Cape that showcases the region’s art and artists.
“We are very proud of the visual art collection housed at the museum, but these issues seriously challenge the safety and functionality of the Art Museum.
“We need reassurance from the museum and Nelson Mandela Bay municipality that the issues will be rectified soon,” he said.
The museum’s infrastructure problems were exposed during a recent downpour in the city, which revealed the building’s vulnerability to flooding.
Leaks throughout the interior have worsened, while the outdated electrical system forced the closure of the Arts Hall building.
The issues extend to the exterior of the museum, which has been vandalised with debris from a previous pipe repair still littering the site and broken pavements remaining untouched.
The conditions have raised concerns about safety, accessibility and the institution’s ability to operate effectively.
A statement released by the museum states that the maintenance and repairs under way at the museum will not impact the daily operations of the facility.
Exhibitions and educational programmes will continue to be hosted in the Main Hall and Lorimer Hall.
Visual art workshops and the popular Saturday morning classes will also go as planned.
“While we resolve our building maintenance, we continue to keep the collection of over 8,000 art objects accessible and safe.”
Despite the temporary closure of the Arts Hall, the museum remains open to the public, featuring two thought-provoking exhibitions currently on display.
Unpopular Opinion challenges viewers to reflect on difficult histories, question stereotypes and consider new ways of seeing the world through art.
The other exhibition, called Still ... life, offers a more reflective experience, featuring traditional still life and landscape works.
Both exhibitions draw from the museum’s permanent collection and are available for public viewing in the Main Hall and Lorimer Hall.
Despite municipal spokesperson Mthubanzi Mniki acknowledging an inquiry into the state and progress of the repairs on Thursday, he referred all questions to Sithembiso Soyaya, who failed to respond by the time of publication.
The Herald
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