Luton’s Departure Lounge closes Bute Street venue after six years

A contemporary art space is closing its doors after six years in Luton’s Bute Street.

Departure Lounge held a closing viewing and goodbye party recently – its final show being an exhibition, On the Wings of a Wirebird, by Luton artist Sophie Gresswell.

Opening in 2010, Departure Lounge has been bringing vacant retail premises across the town back into use, exhibiting new art in new places for over a decade. Since September 2016 it has occupied former hat showroom The Storefront on Bute Street.

A spokesman for Departure Lounge had initially hoped the closure would be a short-term one and was hoping to be able to announced a new location and upcoming programme in the coming weeks. But they have now stated: “At the end of October Departure Lounge announced what we hoped would be a temporary closure. Regretfully, following some very disappointing funding news we must now announce that the gallery will close for the foreseeable future.”