Nurturing talent of tomorrow

The Lavit Gallery is celebrating 50 years of promoting the visual arts, says Tina O’Sullivan

THE Lavit Gallery, established in conjunction with Cork Arts Society, celebrates its first half century in Cork tomorrow.

The Lavit Gallery is one of the few commercial galleries in Cork to have survived the economic downturn. Its original premises on 16 Lavit’s Quay was patronised by Thomas Crosbie Holdings. Mary Dwyer, a daughter of Tom Crosbie, was an original committee member and secured the top two floors of the building for the Cork Arts Society. The move across town to its current location on Father Mathew St in 1995 changed the demands on financial resources. While the gallery operates in a “not for profit” capacity, it now has to meet rates, bills and wages bills, although some of the workforce is sponsored by FÁS and there is also continued private sponsorship. The gallery also holds many fundraising exhibitions.