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Published on April 26, 2008

Phatarawadee Phataranawik

Surely nothing else can go wrong now, we hope! But the practical future of the centre remains a mystery.

The decade-plus wait for an arts centre in the capital is palpably nearing an end with construction of the facility at the Pathumwan intersection more than 90-per-cent complete.

The building has been finished, and interior designers and architects are busy putting the finishing touches on the inside of the city's first-ever international-standard museum-gallery.

Costing over Bt500 million, the 11-storey centre will have art galleries, an exhibition area for its permanent collection, a mini-theatre, a library oriented to art and design, and shops selling art supplies, as well as bars and restaurants.

The cultural programmes for the initial months after the opening are being prepared by the Art Foundation of Bangkok, led by Chatvichai Promadhattavedi and the People's Network for the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre.

The programmes will range from international exhibitions to performances of contemporary art and folk arts from around Thailand. Musical arts, film, literature, design and architecture will also be included.

Chatvichai said that the foundation is now doing administrative work for the centre, including arranging the debut show, which is to include many artists, academics and art lovers who have been pushing for the centre's creation.

The centre will be run by the non-profit Art Foundation of Bangkok. Apirak is the president of the foundation's committee. Other committee members include the general director of the Culture Ministry's Contemporary Art and Culture Office, Apinan Poshyananda, and National Artist Preecha Thaothong.

The centre's mission is to be a cultural and lifestyle centre. The centre will be a friendly art hub where people of all ages can share art and culture. Chatvichai said the centre would focus on hosting arts activities, hosting Bangkok's Biennial, and serving as a community centre.

The country's first arts centre may face financial problems. At first, funding will come from private companies willing to sponsor the programmes, as well as rent from the centre's retail outlets, but the budget for running the centre has not yet been set.

"Now the city will provide some amount of money for supporting the centre," said Chatvichai.

However, centre administration and how it will financially support itself remains a mystery. There is no director, permanent curator or other staff director. Running an arts centre requires professionals and technicians, who are in short supply in Thailand. Other world-standard museums take years to develop their human resources. Long-term preparation by sending young curators to be trained abroad is very important. Exhibition panels have not been fixed yet. The process of bidding for retail outlets has yet to begin.

The centre is currently being run by members of the foundation's committee, who are busy with their own routine. Since its "soft launch" last year, there have been a few outreach programmes.

Yes, running this centre is a difficult task because it's in transition from being government run to becoming a non-profit organisation.

If July is the "real" deadline, then there are only three months left. Many doubt whether the arts centre is truly on the right track.

"We accept that the process is a bit slow," said Chatvichai, "but the most important thing about this centre is that it is a good example of how civil power can be used to motivate the state into action. This centre will be a true 'community' centre".

No doubt! It's a brilliant idea to create a city arts centre at the bustling Pathumwan intersection, where contemporary arts, popular culture and consumerism converge. After a decade fighting for it, we now have to hope it's worth it for taxpayers. I'm very appreciative of the long-anticipated movement to push the government to invest in the arts and culture - typically its last priority.

Although we have come a long way, there is still far to go. The finished buildings merely represent one more step. We now need a professional administration to staff the centre. There are a lot of helping hands waiting to support the centre, but they are waiting for a practical management policy to be put in place.