Strapped CoCA to lease part of gallery

One of the oldest art institutions in Christchurch will lease the majority of its city centre building in order to financially recover from losing more than $1 million since 2016.

The Centre of Contemporary Art (CoCA), which was established in 1880, closed for 10 weeks in April to work out how to stay afloat.

Selling the gallery’s city centre headquarters was considered.

Gallery trust chairperson Anna Ryan said 82% of the 227 people consulted about CoCA’s future opposed selling the building on Gloucester St.

‘‘We are well advanced in discussions with a prospective long-term tenant. Under the potential arrangement some gallery space would be available for CoCA,’’ she said. ‘‘What’s clear from the initial engagement ... is that the local arts community greatly values our heritagelisted building at 66 Gloucester St.

‘‘This insight provides the board with a strong mandate to pursue a long-term tenant that will allow us to keep exhibiting at the space.’’

As well as losing $1m, the gallery also needed to find $150,000 to replace the airconditioning system.

In April, Ryan said the gallery was not making enough money to cover its operating expenses.

CoCA has struggled financially since it reopened in 2016 after earthquake repairs to its 1960s headquarters. The gallery lost more than $500,000 in 2017, and about $200,000 every year from 2018 to 2020.

The last annual report said CoCA had about $400,000 in cash reserves.

CoCA, formerly known as the Canterbury Society of Arts, was established in 1880. It exhibited from 1895 to 1968 in a gallery on the corner of Durham and Armagh streets.

The society moved into the new gallery on Gloucester St in 1968 and was renamed CoCA in 1996. The building was closed in the 2011 Canterbury quakes, but reopened after a $4.1m restoration.