New momentum in Margate

Opening a new gallery against a backdrop of cuts, recession and economic gloom may not have been an ideal situation but at Turner Contemporary it has been an exciting and at times emotional year. Margate has a wonderful new architectural addition and Turner Contemporary has become a must-see destination attracting thousands of visitors to the town.

The gallery was opened by Tracey Emin and Jools Holland on 16 April 2011. We had expected crowds for the opening, and they came, but not in the same volumes that we’ve seen subsequently. Young, old, locals, tourists and groups alike have flocked to the gallery. Our original projections suggested an opening year of 156,000 visits. We have welcomed more than 340,000 visitors in the last eight months, including HM The Queen and HRH the Duke of Edinburgh, and been featured in national and international media stories throughout 2011 – perhaps because nobody ever really thought it would happen

It is still very early to gauge the scope and scale of the economic and social impact that the gallery is having, but our initial research suggests that Margate seems to have turned a corner. The opening of the gallery changed perceptions about the town and civic pride has been re-ignited. The gallery now employs 40 staff and supports an estimated 26 jobs in the community. The publicity that it has attracted has already been valued at over £3m. Since the opening, Southeastern trains have remarked on a 30% increase in people travelling to Margate; the nearby Shell Grotto has seen a 70% rise in visitors; and local estate agent Oakwood has reported a 22% increase in London buyers. These all indicate a real and tangible ‘Turner effect’.

As everyone knows, maintaining momentum into the second and third years isn’t always easy but we are confident that our plans will ensure that we don’t have a significant dip in visitor numbers and we continue to play a key role in the regeneration of this historic seaside town. In January 2012 we host our first dedicated Turner exhibition, ‘Turner and the Elements’. Alongside this we have an exhibition of work by Hamish Fulton. This will be followed by a show of Tracey Emin’s work and new commissions by Mark Wallinger and Lindsay Seers, with an exhibition of work by the American painter Alex Katz in the autumn together with a selection of paintings from Tate Collection.

Margate has realised some of its enormous potential but it still has some way to go. Regeneration doesn’t just happen overnight: it takes years to transform a place and change attitudes. Turner Contemporary has already had a significant impact on the lives of local people, their businesses and their confidence, as well as on the visual arts infrastructure in the UK. I look forward to 2012, buoyed up by an extraordinary opening year which I will never forget.