On Wednesday, Mr Pearson toured the Art Gallery of Ballarat with gallery director Louise Tegart to announce the Regional Collection Access Program which will enable galleries and museums to increase their capacity, provide better care for their collections, and attract more visitors.

"It's really designed to make sure our regional galleries can grow further, to conserve what they've got, and to be able to be a drawcard for galleries and exhibitions from Melbourne, interstate and overseas," he said.

Ms Tegart said the gallery was planning for an international exhibition late next year and planned to apply for one of the grants to upgrade the gallery.

"The public gallery sector in Victoria is the oldest and best public gallery network in Australia with buildings from as old as ours, from 1890, right through to galleries built in the last 12 months," she said.

"They've got a range of infrastructure needs that need to be met and this funding from Creative Victoria is critical to allow the gallery to continue to provide the best visitor experience we can."

RCAP offers support for a range of projects, including up to $40,000 for the purchase and installation of equipment, up to $150,000 for small to medium capital or maintenance works and more than $150,000 for larger scale projects.

Mr Pearson said the grants program would allow regional galleries to "play to their own strength and points of difference".

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"This program is about investing in the future - ensuring regional cultural spaces remain at the cutting edge, delivering strong visitation and economic benefits to regional centres across the state," he said.

After touring the Art Gallery of Ballarat he said locals were fortunate to have such a rich and diverse collection.

"We want to find ways in which we can get the people of Ballarat to have a strong connection and pride about this institution, and get people from around Victoria and Melbourne to experience the wonder of Ballarat where you've got a really great cultural institution with strong leadership."

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