Thursday, 12 October 2023 | PNS | DEHRADUN
The decline in the number of visitors at the Uttara Contemporary Art Gallery (UCAG) in Dehradun is being attributed to insufficient promotional strategies as well as high parking fees. Despite its original intention to support local artists, the museum has been struggling with low visitor footfalls and limited number of exhibitions, rendering it more of a display piece than a dynamic cultural centre. Many visitors opined while talking to this correspondent that introducing new artifacts and exhibits to the museum might help attract more visitors.
Commenting on the current scenario of the art gallery, the in-charge of UCAG Sarita Sureri admitted that the art gallery has been witnessing a decline in the number of visitors. “We know why things are so. This is principally thanks to inadequate promotional strategies and activities as well as the prohibitive parking charges,” she said.
She further said that to address this issue and to enthuse more visitors to the art gallery, she would recommend the culture department to consider launching broader promotional campaigns to raise awareness about the gallery among the people of the state. “Besides, it might prove beneficial to engage qualified artisans to maintain the paintings and artworks on display at the gallery,” she added.
Various visitors claimed that the people of the city are barely aware of the art gallery’s existence due to the apathy being shown by the department concerned in running promotional activities.
A visitor Suresh Uniyal said, “As someone who is visiting the UCAG for the first time, I must admit that I was previously unaware of the existence of such an art gallery in the city. Today, I stumbled upon this gallery quite by chance. There is no dearth of aesthetically inclined people in the city who are true connoisseurs of art. What is needed is that the culture department should embark on vigorous promotional campaigns to motivate the right kind of people to come and appreciate the artifacts being showcased at the gallery. Besides, they must consider reducing the now-exorbitant parking charges.”
Another visitor Ramesh Pokhriyal said that he was also visiting UCAG for the first time. He said that lack of promotional activities coupled with inadequate number of artifacts at the gallery might account for the low turnout of visitors. “This aside, I would suggest that to attract more visitors to the art gallery, new exhibits must be displayed and there must be one at the gallery qualified enough to enlighten the visitors about the hoariness and the import of the artworks being showcased at the gallery,” he added.
