Old Glasgow Club
Minutes of
ordinary meeting of the Old Glasgow Club held at Adelaide’s, 209 Bath
Street on Thursday 12th March 2009 at 7.00pm
Attendance
91
Chair
Mr Gordon (for
President)
Welcome
Mr
Gordon welcomed members to the meeting.
Apologies
There were apologies from Anna Forrest,
Janette Knox, Jim Gibson, Maida Gibson, Sheila Kelly, Elaine Debenham,
Terry Liddell, Isobel Muldowney.
Minutes
The minutes of the
last ordinary meeting held on 12th February were circulated and were
approved, proposed by Mrs Thom and seconded by Mr Kerr. There were no
matters arising.
President’s report
There was no
President’s report, Mrs Forrest being in Cyprus.
Mr Gibson, on behalf of
Mrs Forrest, informed the club that a tour of the Art Club conducted by
tonight’s speaker Mr Paul Dowds on Sat 28th February had been
enjoyed by all who attended.
Secretary’s report
Mrs McNae reported that
our February speaker Mr David Simons thanked the Club for his reception
at the last meeting.
Mrs McNae also attended
the tour of the Art Club on Sat 28th February and thanked Mr
Dowds for a most enjoyable and informative morning. She also thanked Mrs
Margaret Russell for passing on some photographs from the tour which
will be put up on the website.
Mr Tom Cunningham
(speaker from 11th September 2008, Buffalo Bill’s Wild West
in Glasgow), has informed the club that he has been invited to
participate in a seminar acknowledging the 10th Anniversary
of the repatriation of the Lakota Ghost Dance Shirt on Sat 1st
August 2009 at Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum. He will keep us
informed of details in due course.
Mrs McNae and Mrs Thom
recently attended a SGHET (South Glasgow Heritage Environment Trust)
talk by Mr Peter Mortimer. He has agreed to speak to the club on
Enrolment night of the 2009-2010 session.
The Tappit Hen Bowling
tournament will take place on Thurs 21st May at 6.30. There
will be a light buffet at the Drawing Rooms across from the Kelvingrove
Greens from 7.30pm.
The J.A.S. Wilson
Memorial Walk will be hosted by Mr Peter Mortimer around the Gorbals on
Thursday 4th June.
The Summer outing will
be to Traquair House on Sat 14th June, with a High Tea in
Peebles.
Mrs Thom will take
names and ticket money for those interested.
A tour round the River
City set has been organised for Sat 4th July. Cost is £5.50
with a £3.75 discount for senior citizens. Please give names if
interested to Ms Cairns.
Speaker
Mr Gordon introduced Mr Paul Dowds, a
director of the Glasgow Art Club, who spoke on the topic of “Restoration
of the Art Club”.
Mr Dowds initiated the talk by thanking Mr
McNae with his help in providing the powerpoint presentation.
The Glasgow Art Club was formed in 1867 by
William Dennison and 10 of his friends who were all amateur artists. The
club was launched in the Waverley Temperance Hotel. By the 1870’s
professional artists were included in the ranks. Female members were
allowed to join in 1983. In 1878 the club moved to larger premises at 62
Bothwell Circus, a reflection of the growing interest in the Arts at
that time.
The Club then took up residence at 185 Bath
Street in 1896. Two Regency era townhouses were transformed into the
Clubhouse, a conversion designed by John Keppie (a club member). A young
Charles Rennie Mackintosh, in one of his first commissions as a
draughtsman, was involved in the design of the gallery. The conversion
cost £5000.
Mr Dowds then illustrated his talk with
images of the original conversion plans of the club house, as well as
pictures of members past and present with examples of their work
exhibited in the club e.g. Sir James Guthrie, George Henry, E. A.
Cornell, James Robertson, Andrew Law, Pittencrief McGillvary and Peter
Howson.
The Club houses an impressive library and
archive service and contains a unique collection of books on Art and
Architecture. The collection chronicles the development of artistic
tradition in the West of Scotland and is well used by students and
scholars. The library contains portfolios of work of its artistic
members.
The club building is now A-listed and the
Rennie Mackintosh connection proves popular with his fans and tourists.
The club contains a dining room and bar and the gallery is available to
hire for events. The club is open to the public for viewing on Saturday
mornings. Rennie Mackintosh’s influence is visible in a wall frieze in
the Gallery comprising his distinctive style. Brasswork and fingerplate
designs, and ventilation covers also bear his handiwork.
The gents toilets are A-listed by Historic
Scotland. In 1983, when the admittance of female members from the Ladies
Art Club in Blythswood Square were first mooted, a faction of artists
protested by holding a lunch in the male-only toilets.
Anyone wishing to join the club must be
proposed and seconded by club members. The proposed member must have met
with at least 2 people from the club. Membership can be corporate, lay
or artist. The Art Club promotes new talent by awarding 10 fellowships
to students, which guarantees them membership and a guaranteed show. The
artists are chosen by the Club and the RGA. The club’s main purpose is
to promote the arts through public exhibitions, life classes, colleting
art publications, hosting lectures and performances.
The restoration project is a program of much
needed repairs to the external walls, basement and roof and is estimated
to take 18 months. An alteration to the roof carried out during WWII
when the club was an officer’s HQ and mess has caused some considerable
and lasting damage and this will also need to be fixed. There is both
dry and wet rot in the upper floors. The Club will still be operational
during the restoration. The renovations will be funded partly by Glasgow
Art Club Property Company, Glasgow Art Club, Historic Scotland and the
Big Lottery Fund. A restoration project has already been completed to
upgrade the electrics. This cost £350,000 and was funded partly by
selling 5 paintings from the archives, a bank loan and levies paid by
Art Club members.
Unfortunately the Charles Rennie Mackintosh
frieze cannot be completely restored, having been painted over many
times but can be replicated and reproduced using computer aided
stencilling.
Glasgow is reportedly to become “Glasgow –
City of Mackintosh” in a rebranding of the city’s image. There will be a
Mackintosh trail across the city and the Art Club will be included as an
example of his early career.
Mr Dowds concluded by emphasising the Club’s
links with the School of Art, many of the Club’s Presidents and Past
Presidents have been Lecturers at the School of Art.
Vote of Thanks
Mr Jim Robertson
delivered the Vote of Thanks and presented Mr Dowds with a membership of
the Club.
AOCB and close
Mr Gordon
reminded the club that Mrs Thom would still be taking bookings for the
various outings and wished all a safe journey home.
P. Cairns, Acting
Recording Secretary
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