THE Art Gallery of Ballarat is set for the most significant transformation the city has seen since its inception more than a century ago.
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A vision to transform the iconic 125-year-old building in the heart of Lydiard Street is under way, spearheaded by the 11 members of the gallery’s newly elected independent board.
Board chairman Vicki Coltman recently unveiled the five-year Art Gallery of Ballarat strategic plan aimed at redefining its direction to secure its future viability.
At its heart is a desire to redesign the existing building infrastructure from its bones, and increase the gallery’s extensive art collection, which totals more than 10,000 works.
It also marks out plans to build on the relationship with the City of Ballarat and forge alliances with other artistic stakeholders, including regional and international galleries.
Since its establishment in 1884, the gallery has never undergone such a revitalisation.
The building has almost reached its capacity. Storage for the gallery’s collection is bursting at the seams and exhibition space is limited.
But Ms Coltman said the gallery’s resources were finite, in staff numbers and finances.
Plans are under way to develop a site master plan by mid-2016 before a building appeal to lobby all levels of government for funding will be launched.
“The challenge for Ballarat compared to other regional towns is there are a number of organisations and museums vying for the same pot of money,” Ms Coltman said.
“Sovereign Hill, M.A.D.E and the Ballarat Wildlife Park are each lobbying for funding and it needs to be a fair and equitable process.”
The Ballarat Art Gallery Association recently bought the building adjacent to the gallery, with plans to extend the gallery sideways.
“The plan is around building for the future and strengthening what we have,” Ms Coltman said.
“We know we have limitations and that we need more galleries and access to public toilets.”
The shake-up comes in the wake of the announcement of the most significant exhibition to grace the gallery in recent years.
More than 45,000 people are expected to pour into the gallery next spring to see the Archibald Prize exhibition. The prize is awarded annually to the best portrait, “preferentially of some man or woman distinguished in art, letters, science or politics, painted by any artist resident in Australasia”.
It continues to be one of the most popular exhibitions across the country.
Elite art exhibitions have been widely reported as being major drivers of economic benefit for regional galleries.
In 2012, the Bendigo Art Galley showcased the renowned Grace Kelly Style Icon exhibition and drew crowds of more than 152,000 people.
In 2011, the White Wedding Dress exhibition touring from London, attracted 76,000 visitors.
The economic impact generated by the Grace Kelly exhibition on the Bendigo economy was more than $16.31 million.
While Ms Coltman applauded the work of the Bendigo Art Gallery and the City of Greater Bendigo, she said the Bendigo council was able to invest more than $5 million into the gallery in its annual budget – a figure Ballarat could not match.
The Ballarat council allocated more than $1.2 million for the gallery in its budget last year. Yet, despite receiving no additional funding and changing to free daily visitation in 2008, attendance has soared from 40,000 a year to more than 120,000 annually.
“A lot of people felt at the time changing to free visitation was going to disadvantage art galleries but, in hindsight, it was historically one of the most liberating steps ever taken,” Ms Coltman said.
“More people are visiting the gallery because they appreciate that they don’t have to pay.”
The model works on the basis that it hosts one or two ticketed entry, high-end exhibitions a year, balancing out the costs of no entry fee.
“Every gallery defines its own success,” Ms Coltman said. “If we simply look at the raw numbers of exhibitions like Grace Kelly, it’s very easy to say it got more numbers, but it doesn’t necessarily translate into profit.
“For us, Capturing Flora was more profitable on a per capita basis than any other exhibition we have run.”
Almost every high-profile art exhibition the gallery has hosted has exceeded anticipated visitation.
Capturing Flora had a target of 15,000 visitors but drew crowds of about 19,000. Earlier this year, more than 18,500 people visited the landmark Scottish art exhibition For Auld Lang Syne: Images of Scottish Australia from First Fleet to Federation.
Patronage was down from the 20,000 to 25,000 visitors the gallery had expected, however it injected more than $1.3 million back into the city.
Art collector Mark Guirguis said the greatest challenge faced by the gallery was attracting a broader demographic.
Mr Guirguis said the gallery was unique in that it was owned solely by the City of Ballarat, yet such a small portion of the community used it. To support the emerging artistic culture of Ballarat, the surgeon established the $20,000 Guirguis New Art Prize last year, the richest art prize in Ballarat.
Mr Guirguis said he has visions of a pop-up wine bar at the gallery and later opening hours, which he believed would entice young people to use the space.
“I would love it to be a place where people could go on a Friday night after work and for it to be a vibrant setting where people could congregate,” Mr Guirguis said. “They could have a drink and wander through one of the exhibitions. Alfred Deakin Place and the gallery’s annexe have been hidden away and underutilised far too long. We need to open it up and break down those barriers so people aren’t intimidated to step into the gallery and they start to see it as a real hub.”
Gallery director Gordon Morrison said despite the gallery’s evolving physical space, future exhibitions would not change.
A third of exhibition space will remain devoted to local artists, including the Ballarat International Foto Biennale.
Renowned exhibitions including the Victorian Indigenous Art Awards will also continue to be showcased.
“Many regional galleries have abandoned a commitment and connection to their local community,” Mr Morrison said. “For our gallery, that relationship is a pillar of strength and sets us apart.”
The plan for the Archibald is to showcase the exhibition downstairs and encourage visitors to go upstairs to immerse themselves in the permanent collection.
Mr Morrison said the galley’s extensive collection of works, was a “treasure chest of works”, was unmatched in Australia.
Each exhibition at the gallery was crafted to incorporate pieces of the gallery’s existing collection or was linked in some way to Ballarat, he said.
Mr Morrison said securing the gallery’s future was also about leaving a legacy.
The gallery has applied for a philanthropic trust to fund a hardcover catalogue of its acclaimed collection.
melissa.cunningham@fairfaxmedia.com.au