Baltic visitor numbers fall 11%

Visitor numbers have fallen by 11%

The number of people visiting the £46m Baltic arts centre on Tyneside have fallen by 11%, new figures reveal.

One of the largest contemporary art galleries in the world, the centre first opened on the Gateshead Quayside in July 2002 in an old flour mill.

In the year 2003/2004 more than 445,000 people visited the complex.

But in 2005/2006 this number was down by more than 40,000. Bosses said the centre was still very successful and a balancing out in numbers was normal.

'Stabilised'

Baltic Director Peter Doroshenko said: "Our visitor numbers have actually stabilised since we opened.

"There are so many contemporary art centres and museums opening up and of course at first everybody is interested in going and there is a major tendency to peak then things tend to plateau.

"That is the norm and that is what is happening at Baltic."

He also said the recent Spank the Monkey exhibition had been very successful.

It was the centre's first examination of urban and suburban art with strong links to graphic design, graffiti, skate boarding and surfing.

The Arts Council, which is one of Baltic's main funders said it was happy with the centre's performance.

Last year's Spencer Tunick project - a series of pictures of naked people striking poses at four locations in Newcastle and Gateshead - was also a popular attraction.