Queensland Art Gallery Annual Report

chair’s overview / QUEENSLAND ART GALLERY ANNUAL REPORT 05/06 9 CHAIR’S OVERVIEW At the end of the 2005–06 reporting year, the launch of the Gallery as a two-site institution is only five months away — the Gallery of Modern Art (GoMA) will open to the public on 2 December 2006. Combined with the inaugural exhibition, ‘The 5th Asia–Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art’ (APT5), the opening promises to be a significant event in recent Australian museum history. During the year, management and staff across all areas of the Gallery continued to work towards the realisation of this important project. Not simply a physical expansion but a major new contemporary art museum, GoMA represents many exciting possibilities for our audiences. The opening celebrations for the two-site launch, which will take place over four days, will incorporate a range of official and public events, performances, and educational programs for all ages. As well as the much-anticipated APT5, displays in both buildings will showcase the strengths of the Gallery’s contemporary and historical art collections. The Queensland Art Gallery’s new entry, designed by the building’s original architects, Robin Gibson and Partners, will also be complete for the opening. The new entry will link the Gallery’s northern aspect to GoMA via a public plaza. During 2005–06, the Gallery embarked on a series of pilot programs associated with GoMA initiatives. In November, the Australian Cinémathèque was officially launched by the Minister for Education and Minister for the Arts, the Honourable Rod Welford, MP , in association with the opening of the Cinémathèque’s premiere exhibition and film program, ‘Kiss of the Beast’. In the new year, the Minister also made a major announcement regarding the Children’s Art Centre facilities and programming at GoMA. This announcement coincided with the staging of Box City, the Gallery’s most ambitious commission of an interactive work for children to date. With a strategic, three-year ‘Triennial-to-Triennial’ forward plan in place to ensure a sustained level of high quality exhibitions and programs following the launch of GoMA, work also continued on the development of other major projects for both buildings post December 2006. The Gallery also continued its commitment to Indigenous Australian art with the announcement of a new initiative for emerging Indigenous artists, made possible through a partnership with Xstrata Coal. Over the next three years, Xstrata Coal will contribute $330 000 to stage the ‘Xstrata Coal Emerging Indigenous Art Award’ and to strengthen the Gallery’s already substantial holdings of Indigenous Australian art through an acquisitions program. Jonathan Jones’s lumination fall wall weave 2004/2006 was the winner of the inaugural acquisitive award. On behalf of Trustees, Gallery management and staff, I gratefully acknowledge and thank the Queensland Government, specifically Arts Queensland and the Department of Public Works, for its ongoing support of the Gallery, particularly the funding of pilot programming for new GoMA initiatives throughout the year. Particular mention must go to the Honourable Peter Beattie, MP , Premier of Queensland; and the Honourable Rod Welford, MP , who was appointed Minister for Education and Minister for the Arts in July 2005. Wayne Goss, Chair, Board of Trustees Members of the Queensland Art Gallery Board of Trustees and the Gallery Director on-site at the Gallery of Modern Art (under construction), May 2006. FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: Ms Ann Gamble Myer (Deputy Chair), Mr Tim Fairfax, AM , Mr Wayne Goss (Chair), Mr Mark Gray, Gallery Director Doug Hall, AM , Mr Craig Koomeeta, Ms Maureen Hansen Not pictured: Ms Katrina McGill, Ms Sue Purdon, Mr Brian Robinson, Professor Michael Wesley OPPOSITE: Yang Zhenzhong China b.1968 Light and easy no. 16 2002 Type C photograph, ed. 8/10, 119.9 x 79.3cm (comp.) Purchased 2005. Queensland Art Gallery Foundation