Forecourt Art Group, Aberdeen’s longest-established art society, have had their plans for their biggest-ever exhibition scuppered by the Academy Shopping Centre‘s refusal to honour their booking.

Earlier this year the committee and members of Forecourt Art Group were elated when they found out that they’d secured partial funding from Aberdeen City Council to run an exhibition of works by their members and invited guests.

After some research they hit on using a vacant shopping unit in the Academy Shopping Centre as a city centre location for the show. After negotiations with Apardion Management Limited, who run the centre, their written booking was accepted. Apardion’s representative confirmed to the group in several telephone conversations that it had been granted the use of the unit for a week in November.

Ian Watt, President of Forecourt said, “The members were excited. 31 of them signed up to take part – which is the most anyone can remember exhibiting at a single show – and they were all busy painting new pictures, and preparing and framing their works to go on sale. We also had contacted potential guest artists – professionals who were keen to support the group and show their works with us. We anticipated there being over 200 works on display during the week.”

Then the group received the devastating news that their booking was not to be honoured. Just five weeks before they were due to move in, Apardion contacted the club to say that landlords of the shopping centre had negotiated a five year lease on three units in the centre and that short term leases, even those previously confirmed, were not to be honoured.

“This was a bombshell. Not only did we outlay money for insurance (which Academy insisted be in place before we submitted the booking form) but we spent hundreds of pounds on refurbishing our exhibition stands” said Ian Watt. “We feel let down by The Academy’s actions. Morally, this was a terrible way to act. We’ve invoiced them for our outlays – and if they don’t pay up we may have to take legal action. Meantime we also have to move and on look for an alternative exhibition space.”

Now the group are left looking again for a premises in which to exhibit. While they’d like that to happen this year, they accept that it may be the spring before they can mount a new show. By that point they’ll have missed the Christmas market that they were targeting with their exhibition.

Can you help? Do you know of a high street shop unit that the club could use? If so please contact Forecourt Art Group via their website: http://www.forecourt.org.uk/contact