Queensland Art Gallery Annual Report 2002-03

DIRECTOR'S OVERVIEW A significant contribution to achieving new record attendances in 2002-03 was the presentation of the 'Asia-Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art 2002' (APT 2002). In the ten years since the inception of the project in the early 1990s, the four APT exhibitions have received much critical and popular acclaim. Almost two-thirds of visitors to APT 2002 had attended previous Triennials, indicating that the audience for the APT is not only extensive, but loyal and eager to engage with each event. The APT is strongly positioned to continue in its new home in the Queensland Gallery of Modern Art, the Gallery's second site. As we move towards a two-site operation, the Gallery is undergoing a period of intense planning and change. To prepare section heads and managers to undertake the strategic development needed to successfully realise the expansion, a 'managing change' professional development program commenced during the reporting year. Other staff will become involved in this program in following years. We have had substantial success with exhibitions and events conceived as pilot programs for the expanded services and facilities of the Queensland Gallery of Modern Art. The integration of cinema and other forms of media, and the exploration of their influence on modern visual culture, in APT 2002 was a foretaste of the types of programs planned for the new building's multimedia galleries and cinematheque. The overwhelming success of children's exhibitions and 8 programs, such as 'Colour', 'Kids' APT' and 'Kids' APT Summer Spectacular', demonstrated the programming potential for the Gallery of Modern Art's Children's Art Centre. There were a number of firsts for the Australian Centre of Asia-Pacific Art during 2002, including its first major publication, the APT 2002 monograph, and inaugural lectures by international speakers as part of APT 2002 opening events. Many significant works across all collecting areas were acquired for the Collection. Government, corporate and private support continued to be essential to this development. Sponsorships totalling more than $1.2 million were received through the Foundation. This represented a significant increase from previous years and an excellent result in what has been considered to be a difficult environment for attracting sponsorship. The philanthropy ofThe Myer Foundation and Michael Simcha Baevski continued. It is through their collective support that the Gallery's contemporary Asian art collections benefit from challenging and visionary acquisitions. Eight works were acquired this year for the Kenneth and Yasuko Myer Collection of Contemporary Asian Art, including major APT 2002 works by Yayoi Kusama and Lee U-fan. It is also pleasing to note a number of important gifts to the Gallery's Collection by Australian and international artists of their own work, including Yayoi Kusama, Lee U-fan, William Robinson, Song Dong and Margaret Olley. Following APT 2002, the Gallery's focus shifted from the Asia-Pacific region to Queensland's Cape York Peninsula. The exhibition 'Story Place: Indigenous Art of Cape York and the Rainforest', which has been in development since 2000 and is due to open on 25 July 2003, is an immensely important project, both artistically and culturally. The project continues the Gallery's longstanding commitment to the presentation and research of art by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. This much-anticipated exhibition will display over 300 historical and contemporary works by more than 80 Indigenous artists of the region. Already the project has had numerous positive outcomes for the communities of Cape York - the creation of employment opportunities for young arts workers through an innovative traineeship program, and the commissioning of 14 new works for the exhibition and the Collection, including paintings, works on paper, sculptures and weavings. The Gallery is grateful for the level of support and collaboration from the artists, communities, government organisations, sponsors and other cultural institutions. I acknowledge Wayne Goss, Chair of the Board of Trustees, and members of the Board for their continued leadership and support this year, and I also thank the Gallery's expanding audiences for their support of Gallery exhibitions, programs and events. Doug Hall, AM Director