Council & Business
31 August, 2023
Plan to create premier public art gallery
The Central Goldfields Shire Council has backed a push to transform Maryborough’s art gallery into a premier public gallery for the region, adopting the facility’s first strategic plan. Councillors moved unanimously at this week’s ordinary...
The Central Goldfields Shire Council has backed a push to transform Maryborough’s art gallery into a premier public gallery for the region, adopting the facility’s first strategic plan.
Councillors moved unanimously at lastweek’s ordinary meeting to endorse the 2023-2026 strategic plan, which clearly outlines future goals for the gallery.
According to the strategy, the aim for the coming years includes developing high-quality exhibitions, delivering education and public programs, increasing marketing efforts, expanding the permanent art collection and securing sufficient resources to manage the gallery.
In moving the motion to endorse the strategy, councillor Geoff Lovett said the gallery’s role in the community could not be understated.
“One of the gallery’s main objectives is to instill a love of arts in young people and present innovative and fun, life-long learning programs that increase education and socialisation for people at all stages of life,” he said.
Consultation was undertaken in developing the strategy, with members of the arts community, local community and the broader gallery and cultural industry.
Feedback from the community included that the gallery ensure a balance of gender and diversity in the artists and artwork on display, exhibits and promotes the work of school students, that gallery programming reflects broad community interests and that it continues to promote community arts.
Cr Wayne Sproull said the strategy will further the gallery’s standing as an “innovative and inclusive” public space.
“No one can argue — we have a fantastic and now award winning gallery which is a credit to everyone involved,” he said.
“This is a strategy that will ensure the gallery is an asset to our community going forward.
“It identifies that the gallery will be an innovative and inclusive public art gallery to the people of the Central Goldfields and surrounds.”
Supportive of the strategy, Cr Gerard Murphy highlighted that public perception of the gallery varied with some residents unaware of its location.
“I spoke to a 26-year-old who didn’t know where the gallery was — I was amazed by that,” he said.
“There are others in the community I’ve spoken to who have never been inside the gallery or might have only been once and that’s something we need to change.”