Queensland Art Gallery Annual Report 2004-05

7 CHAIR’S OVERVIEW The ‘Story Place: Indigenous Art of Cape York and the Rainforest’ exhibition continued to draw accolades, and the Gallery’s partnership with Comalco won the prestigious 2004 Toyota Community Award from the Australian Business Arts Foundation. A touring component of the exhibition was seen in seven regional venues during a 14-month tour of Queensland. Indigenous programming was also at the forefront during 2004–05 with the presentation of exhibitions including ‘Blak Insights: Contemporary Indigenous Art from the Queensland Art Gallery Collection’, ‘Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri’ and ‘No Ordinary Place: The Art of David Malangi’. Over the past decade, the Queensland Art Gallery has produced a series of key survey exhibitions of individual Australian artists such as Emily Kame Kngwarreye, Lin Onus and William Robinson. Leading contemporary artist Fiona Hall was added to this list with the opening of ‘The Art of Fiona Hall’ in March 2005. Exhibitions of the depth and scale of these projects are the culmination of many years of research, collecting and planning, and this work will be continued at the Queensland Gallery of Modern Art. Realising a project of the scale of the Gallery of Modern Art requires significant commitment across many levels of Government, and I thank the Honourable Peter Beattie, MP , Premier of Queensland and Minister for Trade, for the Queensland Government’s continued support during the year. I also acknowledge the Honourable Anna Bligh, MP , Minister for Education and Minister for the Arts, who made a very valuable contribution at the helm of the Arts portfolio. I also welcome Craig Koomeeta and Professor Michael Wesley, both appointed to the Board of Trustees in 2005, and thank outgoing Trustee Dr Morris Low for his contribution to the Gallery over five years of dedicated service. Wayne Goss Chair Board of Trustees Since the first foundation pile was driven into the ground on 9 September 2004, the Queensland Gallery of Modern Art has been steadily taking shape at its Kurilpa Point site on the Brisbane River. As construction of the building progresses, so does the development of exhibitions and programming for the new building. A priority for 2004–05 was continued planning for APT 2006, the fifth Asia–Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art, which will be the opening exhibition for the Gallery in late 2006. It seems fitting that the Gallery’s flagship project should introduce Queenslanders, as well as national and international visitors, to the new Queensland Gallery of Modern Art. During 2004–05, the Gallery also built on its achievements of recent years. The vitality of the Gallery’s children’s programming was again evident in the exhibition ‘The Nature Machine: Contemporary Art, Nature and Technology’, and its accompanying Summer Festival. The exhibition proved a compelling experience for children and families, and the associated Summer Festival attracted nearly 30 000 people in just 9 days of workshops, artist talks, performances and a unique quiz show. The calibre of works in the exhibition drew audiences of all ages, with new acquisitions by Czech–Canadian artist Jana Sterbak and Australian artist Susan Norrie on display for the first time. Another major project undertaken during the year was the redevelopment of the Gallery’s website. With a fresh, new design, expanded content and easy-to-navigate ‘look and feel’, the site offers increased access to information and services to the Gallery’s many audiences. 6 Members of the Queensland Art Gallery Board of Trustees and the Gallery Director in front of Aernout Mik’s Pulverous 2003. From left to right: Mr Mark Gray, Mr Wayne Goss (Chair), Ms Maureen Hansen, Gallery Director Mr Doug Hall, AM , Mr Tim Fairfax, AM , Mr Brian Robinson Absent: Ms Ann Gamble Myer (Deputy Chair), Mr Craig Koomeeta, Ms Katrina McGill, Ms Sue Purdon, Professor Michael Wesley Aernout Mik The Netherlands b.1962 Pulverous 2003 3-channel video installation on video server: 23:27 minutes (looped), colour, silent ed. 1/4 200 x 790cm (installed, approx.) Purchased 2005. The Queensland Government’s Queensland Gallery of Modern Art Acquisitions Fund