Queensland Art Gallery Annual Report 1997-98

Management and Operations Program Following Queensland Treasury's review of the provision of corporate services within the Arts Portfolio last year, the Under Treasurer established a Corporate Administration Agency as of 1 July 1997 to service the corporate services needs of the Gallery, the Queensland Museum, the State Library of Queensland and the Arts Office. Consequently, the need to establish efficient and effective practices and procedures associated with this outsourcing arrangement was a focus during 1997-98. During the year, the Gallery developed a Certified Agreement under the enterprise bargaining process in accordance with Section 19 of the Workplace Relations Act 1997. The Agreement applies to all staff employed by the Gallery, whether Government employees or employees of the Board of Trustees, and excludes only officers of the Senior Executive Service. The Agreement operates for a term of two years and four months from 1 September 1997, remaining in force until December 1999, and will assist the Gallery to improve productivity and efficiency and further achieve its goals. The Government's refocussing of the Arts portfolio resulted in a series of recommendations, and relevant legislation - including the Queensland Art Gallery Act 1987 - was reviewed and amended by Government. The main thrust of the amendments was to apply the key principles of clarity of objectives, management autonomy and authority, and strict accountability for performance, while also modernising the constituent legislation and ensuring that current government policies are effected. In line with the new planning provisions of the Queensland Art Gallery Act, a Strategic Plan for the period 1 July 1998 to 30 June 2001 and an Operational Plan for the 1998-99 financial year were developed. Commercial Services A major proJect during the year involved renaming the Gallery Shop as 'Gallery Store', and the development of a new corporate image to be used on packaging, stationery, giftwrap, customer newsletters and advertisements, and as a label for T– shirts. The new corporate image was launched at the annual Gallery Store Christmas Shopping party on Wednesday 3 December 1997. Some 350 guests attended the event which included the launch of the new logo: New merchandise lines were produced during the year to complement Queensland Art Gallery exhibitions 'Emily Kame Kngwarreye', 'Francesco Conz and the lntermedia Avant-Garde' and 'Still Life: Reworking the Tradition'. Various items were produced including postcards, bookmarks, greeting cards, writing pads, notepads and T-shirts. These items have been distributed throughout other gallery shops in Australia. During the year the Gallery Store launched a series of literary evenings at the Gallery to provide customers with wider opportunities for involvement with the Gallery, and to supplement their interest in the arts. The first literary evening was held on Wednesday 22 October 1997 and featured John Olsen's Queensland launch of his memoirs, Drawn from Life. Other literary events included the launch of Roy and Matilda and the Mysterious Music, the new children's title from Susan Venn, which narrates the adventures of a family of mice who visit the Queensland Art Gallery, and the launch of Queensland writer Nick Earls' latest release, Bachelor Kisses. During the year an Exhibition shop was developed and managed by the Gallery Store for 'The Golden Age of Dutch Art' exhibition. The Gallery Store also sourced and managed an exhibition shop, located in the Gallery 4 alcove, for the 'Russell Drysdale' exhibition. Financial Services The Financial Services Unit is responsible for providing advice on financial issues to the Board, the Director, Program Managers and Gallery staff. However, with Treasury's centralisation of all Arts portfolio corporate services, the processing of all finance functions was removed from this unit as of 1 July 1997, and transferred to the Corporate Administration Agency (CAA) of the Arts Office. This resulted in the staffing of the Financial Services Unit being reduced to two positions. The Gallery has, however, retained all financial functions associated with the Gallery's Trust Fund activities. This Unit is responsible for monitoring the outputs of the financial services provided by the CAA The Gallery's Senior Executive Officer is the client liaison officer between the CAA and the Gallery in respect of the provision of corporate services to the Gallery. Information Technology The review of the Arts portfolio resulted in the establishment of the Arts Portfolio Information Technology Steering Committee of which the Gallery is a participating member. IT Services were extended to the Collection Storage and Photography sections, incorporating them into the existing network. The Gallery IT infrastructure has been maintained through the year and plans are being developed to ensure that the system will be Year 2000 compliant within the required time frame. 36 NAMPITJINPA, lnyuwa Abcrig1nal, K ntore ared, Pirtup1 1a1 gL.dt,e group Australia ,_, 1930 Women's Dreaming 1997 5ynthet11 p, ,lymer paint on c.nvas '21,; X '525,m Purchased 'J9i Queensland A,t ualle•'{ 1-oundat1un Grant