Cork Camden Palace Hotel community arts centre appeals for new home

A pioneering self-funding community arts group which facilitated a world record and helped spawn a circus has appealed for help finding a new home.

The team behind the Camden Palace Hotel community arts centre in Cork, which will host its final public performances this weekend ahead of the building’s transfer to new owners later this month, said the group faces closure unless a new base can be found in the city.

They issued a direct appeal last night for help finding a new home to ensure they can continue providing inclusive artistic ventures for arts groups in the region.

“We are appealing to property owners and institutions with buildings in Cork city centre for any assistance that could be made even on an interim basis while a longer term premises of at least 10,000 square feet can be found,” a spokesman for the group’s board said.

In 2009, the arts group moved in to the landmark former Atkins building on Camden Quay.

This year alone, Camden Palace facilitated 555 workshop or classes, 84 film screenings, 12 theatre shows, 15 photo and video shoots, nine all-age concerts, 10 visual art exhibitions, five festivals, three conferences, 11 community events, five fundraisers, the recording of five albums, and 256 art therapy workshop and classes.

However, when the building was sold earlier this year, the board of management began to search for alternative venues. Despite exploring several possibilities, nothing suitable has been found, meaning that, from the end of this month, the arts group will be homeless.

However, a council spokesman said the council’s engagement with the arts group have focused around a number of possible options that the centre will need to explore, including the determination of their priority arts practices, the seeking of alternative accommodation for these practices, reviewing the opportunity for working with other building-based organisations, and pursuing public funding streams to support their work.

If you can help, please email camdenpalacehotel@ gmail.com or phone [phone] or 086 244 8828.