City of Newcastle welcomed the community back into the Newcastle Art Gallery today, unveiling the first new spaces completed as part of its landmark expansion project.
Visitors were treated to a taste of the Gallery's $145 million collection alongside major First Nations commissions and acquisitions, which are on display across three of the new gallery spaces, entry foyer and soaring central atrium.
Artists Renae Lamb, Julie Squires and Shellie Smith, Newcastle Art Gallery Director Lauretta Morton OAM, City of Newcastle CEO Jeremy Bath, Newcastle Art Gallery Society President Prue Viggers OAM, Lord Mayor Ross Kerridge, Newcastle Art Gallery Foundation Chair Suzie Galwey and artist Adam Manning celebrate the first look inside the expanded Newcastle Art Gallery today.
The celebrations began this morning with an opening that championed the Gallery's First Nations First ethos and will be capped off tonight with a high energy First Night Art Party on Laman Street as part of the New Annual festival.
City of Newcastle CEO Jeremy Bath said New Annual was the ideal time to give the community a preview of the reimagined Gallery.
"Celebrating this milestone at the Gallery on the first day of our flagship arts festival New Annual is a fitting acknowledgement of our commitment to art and culture, and its role as an economic and tourism driver for our region," Mr Bath said.
"We have created a purpose-built home for our nationally significant collection and an attractive destination for major touring exhibitions, which will ensure Newcastle Art Gallery takes its place as one of Australia's leading cultural institutions.
"The new spaces we have opened today are just a taste of what is to come and I look forward to celebrating the full reopening of the Gallery in February next year."
Guests gather in the central atrium of the expanded Newcastle Art Gallery following today's reopening event, which championed the Gallery's First Nations First ethos.
The expansion project has more than doubled the size of the Gallery, delivering an additional 1,600 square meters of exhibition space.
A number of these new spaces have been named in honour of the community members and artists whose generous donations helped make the expansion possible, including Valerie and John Ryan, Margaret Olley, Robert and Lindy Henderson and Mary and Richard Owens AM.
Newcastle Art Gallery Director Lauretta Morton OAM said the expanded Gallery would be a permanent tribute to all those who had shown their support for the project over many years.
"This expansion is a testament to the extraordinary generosity of our community," Ms Morton said.
"We are deeply grateful to the individuals, families, and organisations including the Newcastle Art Gallery Foundation, as well as the contributions of the Australian and NSW Governments, whose belief in the value and importance of art has helped turn this vision into reality.
"We are proud to honour the incredible generosity of our major patrons by naming new spaces in the Gallery in recognition of their contributions. These names will forever be part of our story, reminding every visitor of the deep and lasting impact philanthropy has on the cultural life of our city."
Valerie Ryan was a Newcastle Art Gallery Foundation member and former governor. She gifted the residue of her estate, with an estimated value of $20 million, equally to the Newcastle Art Gallery Foundation and the Hunter Medical Research Institute. It is thought to be the largest bequest in Hunter history.
Margaret Olley had a significant and long-standing connection to Newcastle and the Newcastle Art Gallery. Her legacy includes 48 works gifted to the Gallery during her life (often on her birthday) and a $500,000 bequest for the expansion of the Gallery via the Margaret Olley Art Trust.
Former Newcastle Art Gallery Foundation President Robert Henderson and his wife Lindy are long-time advocates and supporters of the Gallery. In 2022, the Hendersons pledged to match the Margaret Olley Art Trust's gift toward the Gallery expansion.
Richard Owens, alongside his wife Mary, was a generous philanthropist and volunteer, pledging $500,000 towards the transformation of the Gallery. Richard was pivotal in the establishment of the Newcastle Art Gallery Foundation and was Chairperson of the Foundation for some time.
The expansion project is supported by $5 million from the Australian Government under the Regional Recovery Partnerships and $5 million from the New South Wales Government under the Regional Recovery Package, as well as $12 million from the Newcastle Art Gallery Foundation made possible through bequests, gifts and community fundraising over many years. A further $1 million is currently being sought through the Foundation's public fundraising campaign.
The Gallery is open Friday to Sunday each week with timed entry and free guided tours. Visitors can also check out the new retail shop, which champions local makers and creators, and view the inaugural window commission by Newcastle artist Maggie Hensel-Brown in the Learning Studio.
The entire Gallery will be reopened in February next year, in conjunction with a major exhibition of works of art from the collection and the unveiling of the commission by internationally renowned artist Fayen d'Evie.
Visit https://newcastleartgallery.nsw.gov.au/ to stay up to date with the Newcastle Art Gallery expansion project.
Tickets for free guided tours of Newcastle Art Gallery can be booked via https://newcastleartgallery.nsw.gov.au/events/guided-tours
