PROTESTERS symbolically cut up over 60 pieces of art to hit out against proposed job cuts at Firstsite gallery.

The Firstsite Staff Group have been collecting signatures for a petition against possible job cuts at the gallery, and arranged a protest to show how this would affect the community.

The Make Art Not Cuts campaign aimed to show how the re-structure would impact on people’s experience at the gallery and the education department.

A spokesperson for Firstsite Staff Group said: “We approached people who were passing the gallery and offered them the chance to be involved.

“The main message is the cuts will threaten the experience - the assistants’ positions will be cut and replaced by volunteers.

“The other major area is the education department which will be slashed by 75 per cent.

“I don’t think people were aware it would be this bad – it’s for children and young people.

“People don’t realise that so it was important to hold this event.”

The petition had reached 1,136 signatures before the event, with organisers claiming to have received 200 more as a result of the protest.

The protest took place outside the gallery on Saturday and featured a range of art, from paintings to post cards, which were submitted to be shredded.