Posted on January 2, 2014 by Rose Rushe
IT was by way of a press interview with national daily Irish Independent, January 2 that the former City of Culture artistic director/ co-ordinator Karl Wallace announced his resignation.
His was accompanied by two lesser known appointees to his team for operations. These are Meave McGrath, a film, festival and theatre producer whose brief was commissioning and legacy, and Jo Mangan, who was to take care of the international programme of big acts to secure for 2014.
His published complaints centre on sidelining with respect to staffing, events such as New Year’s Eve planning and funding. The surprise appointment of City of Culture chief executive Patricia Ryan to a post not advertised nor previously known in November is felt to have been grievous to his authority and resources.
Chairman of his board Pat Cox defended on Limerick’s Live 95fm this morning his decision after the December board meeting as chair to respond to Mr Wallace’s direct complaints and requests put to the volunteer board.
Mr Cox deferred the matter to the personnel department of City Council to do a performance review of Karl Wallace, not an organisational review of the structure that was in place for due process between strategic vision and operations.
Photo credit: I Love Limerick’s WiDu Media
Mr Wallace chose not to engage with any requested meeting with City Council staff to conduct the performance review and was on sick or holiday leave for much of the relevant month, December.
He was not available to meet various interview requests with Limerick Post since October 2013.
At 11am this Monday 2, Mr Wallace convened a private meeting upstairs in Limerick City Gallery of Art, across the road from No 2 Pery Square which is Culture House, HQ for the executive operational tier.
To this only his chosen arts bodies and interested individuals were invited. Members of press and the voluntary ‘pillars’ of City of Culture – literature and so on – were not allowed to attend to hear Mr Wallace’s declared reasons for leaving, and those of his selected team, a day into Limerick’s national City of Culture status.
There has been widespread anger and discontent among arts professionals on the ground with respect to the board’s and also city manager Conn Murray’s perceived treatment of the artistic director and his brief to programme for Ireland’s first designated City of Culture’s duty.
