Queensland Art Gallery Annual Report 2001-02

INITIATIVES & SERVICES RESEARCH The Gallery continued to foster research into the Collection and new directions in museological practice. The Gallery·s Research Library fostered this research through expansion of its specialist resources, in particular material relating the contemporary art of the Asia-Pacific region. These resources will form part of the Australian Centre of Asia-Pacific Art to be housed in the Queensland Gallery of Modern Art. Results of Gallery research associated with the Collection and special exhibitions were made accessible to the public through a wide variety of publications, websites, information panels, children·s activity books and video documentaries. The Gallery·s major publication for the year, Darkness and Light. The Art of William Robinson, proved popular at both exhibition venues. Gallery staff continued to develop the second volume on the Gallery·s Australian art collection as well as the publications which will be released to coincide with the Asia-Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art 2002 and 'Story Place: Indigenous Art of Cape York and the Rainforest' in 2003. Gallery staff who undertook international travel for the purposes of research and professional development included the Director, Doug Hall, who travelled to Hawaii to attend the Association of Art Museum Directors Midwinter Meeting, where he presented a paper on collecting and exhibiting contemporary Asian art. The Head of Asian Art, Suhanya Raffel, represented the Gallery at the Gwangju Biennale, Korea, where she was able to meet many of the artists involved in this major exhibition and establish important contacts in the region. The senior staff appointed to the curatorial team for APT 2002 IHead of Australian Art, Head of International Art, Head of Asian Art and the Senior Project Officer, APT) undertook research travel for the project. Over several weeks in August and September 2001 they visited 11 countries, liaising with artists and their representatives, visiting galleries and museums, and refining the lists of works and artists to be included in this major initiative. These important experiences were integral in determining the shape and scope of APT 2002. The Acting Head of Exhibition Design and Installation, Don Heron, was awarded a Queensland Smithsonian Fellowship to 30 investigate innovative museum practice and building programs, with specific reference to exhibition design and collection display. This fellowship will be undertaken in the United States from September 2002 to January 2003, during which time he will visit Smithsonian institutes and galleries such as the Freer Gallery of Art, the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery and the National Museum of the American Indian. ACCESS THROUGH TECHNOLOGY The Gallery's website was substantially re– designed and improved during the reporting year. The new look and information architecture of the site received positive feedback from users, and was also favourably reviewed in the industry publication Desktop Magazine lno.170, May 2002). Two new features - on Conrad Martens in Queensland and William Robinson - were added to the Queensland Visual Arts Online website, and a website was launched to coincide with the exhibition, 'Queensland Gallery of Modern Art Architect Competition·. The artmail e-bulletin continued to attract new subscribers, with numbers doubling since the previous financial year to 6200 recipients. In the lead-up to the 2005 opening of the Queensland Gallery of Modern Art, the Gallery's aim is to generate community awareness and support of this exciting project. As such, updating subscribers on developments towards the new building has been one of artma,rs most important roles. The email service also facilitated a new and unique two-way channel of communication between the Gallery and individual members of our audience. A series of new media workshops to be presented in partnership with one of Queensland·s leading tertiary institutions is planned for the Asia-Pacific Triennial in September 2002. SERVICES TO REGIONAL QUEENSLAND The Gallery·s Regional Services staff provided exhibition support services and advice, and training and professional development services to regional arts venues and communities throughout Queensland. Educational and promotional resources in support of each travelling exhibition were provided to venues as an integral part of each travelling exhibition. Gallery staff also travelled to regional venues to assist venue staff set up and dismantle exhibitions. Over two days In March 2002 the Gallery presented, in association with Regional Galleries Association of Queensland and Museums Australia IQldl. a major training initiative for regional gallery staff called ·off the Wall'. The program provided participants with an opportunity to hear from a wide range of staff from the Queensland Art Gallery and select industry professionals, and to share highlights of professional practice in contemporary galleries and museums. The Gallery·s major project for 2003, ·story Place: Indigenous Art of Cape York and the Rainforest', focuses on the work of regional artists. The Gallery is directly involving people from regional communities in the development of the project. RECONCILIATION The Queensland Art Gallery is committed to reconciliation and recognises the need for economic, social and cultural wellbeing of Indigenous peoples. Through the collaboration begun in 2001-02 with local Indigenous communities to present the exhibition ·story Place: Indigenous Art of Cape York and the Rainforest', the Gallery aims to introduce the diversity and richness of the Aboriginal cultures of the Cape York region to a broad audience. The increase in the number of Indigenous staff employed at the Gallery as a result of the traineeships provides an opportunity for professional interaction and the forming of friendships, both of which further the reconciliation process on a personal and community level. The Gallery has also engaged young visitors to the Gallery with the richness of Indigenous culture through special performances associated with the ·out of the Box· festival, and a special drawing trail that focused on the Indigenous Australian art collection display. FRIENDS OF THE QUEENSLAND ART GALLERY The Friends of the Queensland Art Gallery program continued to foster and enhance public appreciation of the visual arts through a program of social and educational events and the provision of dedicated facilities for members. A highlight of the Friends program during the year was the monthly Wake up to arti· series. Each event in the series consisted of a breakfast in the Gallery followed by a guided walk-through