WHEN a handful of art lovers met in 1983 to try and bring both local and international works to the borough, the Brent Artists’ Resource was born. Nine years later, BAR found a permanent space in the Willesden Green Library Centre, where it has prided itself on holding accessible and affordable exhibitions ever since.

But, with the future of the library shrouded in doubt and leaving BAR having to move out of its home in September this year, it is celebrating the works of one of its most influential volunteers. The subscription-based organisation, with more than 170 members, has invited Danielle Dubois to display her landscape paintings to pay homage to her for the eight years she ran BAR on a voluntary basis.

Throughout those eight years, the gallery developed, putting on international, historical, curated, individual and community works, together with three exhibitions a year given over to BAR members.

According to her successor and current gallery co-ordinator Lorenzo Belenguer – who has been in the role for the last six years – Danielle nurtured BAR through an era of growth that has allowed it to develop into a more professional and efficient organisation.

Mr Belenguer said: “As an artist herself we thought it would be a nice way for us to thank her by asking her to bring some of her work back to the gallery.

“Danielle helped to really make BAR what it is today and wanted to pay homage to her for her work.

“It is great to think that in the last 30 years we have collectively been able to bring art to people who don’t necessarily have the means to go to expensive exhibitions in central London.

“That is what BAR is all about, giving people who wouldn’t normally be exposed to art the opportunity to see it at a low cost.

“Danielle’s work is fantastic and we are delighted to have it on show.”

The exhibition, entitled ‘BAR 30 Year Retrospective’ has already been on show at Willesden Green Library since July and will run up until BAR’s final weeks at the library on August 24.

By September, BAR will have to find alternative gallery space and the board is busy negotiating with similar organisations to find another base, with the idea that it could be an opportunity to experiment with how they put on exhibitions, such as using pop-up spaces to extend its capacity.

Mr Belenguer says he and everyone involved in BAR is devastated they are having to leave its home of 20 years but, that while the gallery is yet to be rehoused, they are hoping someone will come in to save the organisation.

“Of course, we were absolutely gutted when we were told that we were going to have to leave the library,” he said. “Over the years, we have developed a great relationship with the council and with everyone involved in the library and have managed to really make a name for ourselves here.

“It is going to be difficult to try and essentially start up again but we are just hoping that we will be able to find the space somewhere else.

“BAR has been very important to the borough over the years and it would be awful of this service was no longer available for the people of Brent.”

n The exhibition is open daily, from noon to 9pm, except on Fridays and Saturdays, when it closes at 7pm. Entrance is free.