For one it is a regional Australian first. Having a permanent exhibition space is also a great credit to the passion and daring of those who have the vision to see these cultural assets as an intrinsic part of that future city.  

Turning a long under-utilised heritage building in the heart of the CBD sends some positive signals about new life and new purposes in a business area that has struggled in many conventional ways. Its proximity to some other cultural icons such as her Majesty’s, the Ballarat Art Gallery and Craig’s is no coincidence.

But it is the singular purpose of this building that has even more resonance for a wider Ballarat. Photography as an art form may not be everybody’s taste but with advances in technology is it is an inextricable part of all our lives.

If this is a chance to highlight and celebrate the apogee of the form, it is also an art form that is here for the long run.

It is a credit Fiona Sweet, director of the Foto Biennale, which has long brought devotees of the sometimes esoteric art form to Ballarat, that in its latest iteration in 2017 she achieved not only a far higher profile for the festival but critically connected to a far wider and more diverse audience.

But this new centre is another leap forward altogether. Events are key to building and cementing a place’s reputation but it is the ‘bricks and mortar’ of institutions that can add solidity and longevity to these sometimes transient moments in the spotlight. This too goes long beyond the increased visitations; tourist dollars and flow on benefits of those who come to Ballarat to visit this new cultural centre. Its capacity to add another significant cultural monument to a growing list of destination attractions also taps into the emerging creative industries, a flourishing strength of the new Ballarat. 

As oft noted all these are incremental steps in a subtle renaissance;  a growing reputation among outsiders and an internal, nascent civic-pride as an arts capital.