Newark Art Gallery Owner David Moore Announces Closure Due to Financial Pressures
Newark Art Gallery Owner David Moore Announces Closure Due to Financial Pressures
David Moore, the proprietor of Newark Art Gallery and Studio on Kirkgate, has announced that the gallery will close in February as he chooses not to renew his lease. Citing unsustainable financial pressures from declining high street footfall and rising operational costs, Moore stated that monthly subsidies were no longer viable despite efforts to break even.
David Moore, owner of the Newark Art Gallery and Studio on Kirkgate, has confirmed that the business will close in February because he will not renew his lease. The decision follows a period where declining high street footfall made it impossible to sustain operations despite attempts to reach financial break-even.
Moore, who operates the gallery to showcase his own work alongside that of local artists, explained that he has been covering the monthly losses personally. "This has always been my dream, but even if it was breaking even, it would be a very different thing - but it's not," Moore said. "It's me subsidising it every month, and that's hard."
The gallery originally opened in 2020 before relocating to its current premises at 42A Kirkgate. It has displayed paintings, handmade postcards, pottery, and jewelry from the region. Moore noted that even with reasonable rent and a supportive landlord, the lack of customers proved decisive.
"At the end of the day if you don't have people coming through the front door it is not enough," he said. "Art is the bottom of the food chain, let's be honest. We've got rents, insurance, mortgages, cars, petrol, diesel to pay for at the moment."
Moore observed that consumers are currently prioritizing essential spending over art purchases. "I think people look at their budget at the end of the year or the end of the month and say, ‘Can we afford a pizza?’ Never mind, ‘Can we go and buy a piece of art?’ And that's sad, it really is."
While the physical shop will close, Moore confirmed he will continue to produce and sell art from his home studio. He has begun contacting artists whose work is displayed at the shop, warning them to collect their pieces by February.
To mark the closure, Moore hosted a clearance sale featuring artwork from his old storeroom, with profits donated to his charity of the year, the Children’s Bereavement Centre. He cited meeting people and fellow artists as the highlight of his time on Kirkgate.
Despite the closure, Moore expressed confidence in Newark's future recovery. "I believe that Newark will turn around with the work that Claire Ward's doing with East Midlands Combined Authority, the work that's happening at the Castle, in the Market Place, Stodman Street," he said. "All these things; they will turn the town around, but that's unfortunately not tomorrow."
As chairman of Newark and Sherwood District Council, Moore emphasized that the gallery's closure is strictly a financial issue rather than a reflection on the town's prospects. "Newark will come right; I have a lot of faith in it. Unfortunately, it's just a financial thing right now."
M.Webber--RTC
