The development of new art museums as centers for urban regeneration has been widely practiced in cities throughout the United States and Europe. The main premise behind this resurgence of construction relates to the notion that art museums can redefine a locale, changing its perception from one of decline to an appealing and exuberant cultural center. By creating an image of prosperity and cultural intrigue, these new art museums boost tourism levels - bringing in needed funding that will assist in the creation of new jobs. What this rosy outlook fails to mention is whether or not the development of an art museum really is beneficial for the local inhabitants and whether its role as spectacle and tourist attraction is the best way to showcase art.
Take for example the development of the Tate Gallery Liverpool, an off-shoot of its mother institution in London, which has made its home in the once depressed area along Albert Dock. Within the last seven years, this area has witnessed the loss of around 1,500 jobs marking the closures of the Tate and Lyle refinery. As one critic proposed, “seven years on from the closure of the Tate and Lyle refinery in the city - and the loss of some 1,500 jobs - Liverpool should be compensated with an offshoot of the old boss’s gallery” (Barker 185). Although art museums such as the Tate Gallery Liverpool can help in the creation of more jobs, often times the jobs are still comparatively few, and many of them are poor paying and temporary. The development of these “new” cultural centers for middle class entertainment purposes further confounds the problem, as the lower class are forced out of their housing from the rising cost of living - driving out the very people that needed assistance. In such cases, the art museum and the spectacle surrounding it have become a sort of visual band-aid, covering up and hiding the deprivation and social stratification underlying the area.
The question then becomes whether or not the development of these new art museums can be justified through the means of their own, independent success - even if their benefits may be minimal to the local population’s economic crisis. The Tate Gallery at Liverpool (although criticized repeatedly in the beginning) has now met with wide support among the community with its highly-esteemed outreach and education programs and now boasts 500,000 visitors a year, 80% of which are from the region.
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