Guild Hall Artwork

Why Is Guild Hall’s West Wall Blank?

In September, the mechanism that raises, lowers, and suspends Guild Hall artwork malfunctioned during the transition from the spring embroidery “The Renewal of Life” to the “Living Tree” artwork. Paul Carson created this mechanism in 1974 to hang the first Guild Hall embroidery, and the September malfunction showed how much it has worn over these past (almost) 50 years. The mechanism failed completely recently, dropping the “Living Tree” to the floor.  The Board of Fine Arts will work with Plymouth Church facilities staff to seek an assessment of the problem, what it will take to remedy it, and the cost of the repair/replacement.  Until it is repaired or a new mechanism installed, the west wall of Guild Hall will stand minus any of the artwork displayed there since the 1970s.