the Contemporary Art Society’s Special Collection scheme, which ran between 1998 and 2004, providing fifteen institutions around the UK with £30,000 a year over a five year period. But as good as schemes such as these are, they are finite, and despite the best efforts of museum directors such as Snoddy – who in 2005, after the Special Collection scheme had ended, reintroduced Walsall’s modest acquisitions budget – the challenge of building strong regional collections of contemporary art continues to be an uphill struggle. If the West Midlands is to achieve such collections there must be sustained sources of funding. Increased sponsorship, philanthropy and benefaction from the public, private and corporate sectors are all very necessary if Birmingham and the West Midlands are to position themselves on an international stage as has been proposed. But at least for now we can celebrate the wonderful bounty of international artworks that have been acquired for the region that will no doubt provide a lasting legacy for future generations to enjoy and a strong foundation for the creation of further exemplary collections. www.thenewartgallerywalsall.org.uk www.bmag.org.uk www.ikon-gallery.co.uk
Selections from the new AFI collection will be displayed this autumn at the New Art Gallery Walsall in Metropolis (1 October 2010 – 4 January 2011) and also at Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery in New Art Now (13 November 2010 - 13 February 2011).
David Trigg is an art writer based in Bristol. He is a member of the International Association of Art Critics and a regular contributor to Art Monthly, a-n, MAP, Art Papers and frieze.com. His writing has also been featured in Art Review, Untitled, Circa, and Flash Art. David graduated from Bath School of Art and Design in 2001 and has since worked as Reviews Editor for Bristol arts publication Decode, as well as holding positions at the Arnolfini Gallery and the University of Bristol.
Miao Xiaochun, Orbit, 2005 Digital print, 216 x 480 cm Courtesy Alexander Ochs Galleries, Berlin | Beijing Presented by the Art Fund under Art Fund International
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