Queensland Art Gallery Annual Report 2006-07

QUEENSLAND ART GALLERY ANNUAL REPORT 06–07 / highlights and achievements 6 December The Queensland Art Gallery's second site, GoMA — the largest art museum in Australia solely dedicated to modern and contemporary art — is officially opened to the public on 2 December by the Premier of Queensland. 'The 5th Asia–Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art' (APT5) — the most ambitious APT staged by the Gallery to date — opens across both Gallery sites and features art, film and performance by 37 artists and two multi-artist projects from Asia, Australia and the Pacific. Performances by APT5 artists and specially invited performers — international musicians, hip-hop artists, poets and dancers from Australia, Asia and the Pacific — feature as key events during the opening weekend celebrations which attract over 36 000 visitors. The APT5 cinema programs — profiling the work of seven filmmakers from Asia, Australia and the Pacific — are the first presented in the Australian Cinémathèque's purpose- built cinemas and exhibition gallery at GoMA. GoMA collection galleries open with displays of significant works and major recent acquisitions drawn from the Gallery's key collecting areas. July 2006 'Streeton: Works from the Queensland Art Gallery Collection' concludes its tour at the Stanthorpe Regional Art Gallery on 4 July; the exhibition was seen by 27 402 visitors on its eight-venue regional Queensland tour. August–November In August, the Queensland Art Gallery (QAG) commenced an intense period of preparation before the opening of the two-site institution. Tom Roberts's painting (Indigenous gathering, Far North Queensland) 1892, a rare example of the artist's response to the landscape of the Queensland tropics, is gifted to the Gallery's Australian art collection by Foster's Group Ltd through the Queensland Art Gallery Foundation. Janette Laver, Administrator, KickArts Contemporary Arts, Cairns, is the Gallery's inaugural 'Backstage Pass' regional intern — Janette works with Gallery education staff on Kids' APT activities and events. On 25 September, Bovis Lend Lease advises of the Gallery of Modern Art's (GoMA) practical completion and handover. On 25 October, Bovis Lend Lease formally hands over the keys of GoMA to the Honourable Peter Beattie, MP , Premier of Queensland. The refurbished QAG opens with a showcase of the state's art collections with dedicated displays in the Fairweather Room, Queensland Heritage Gallery, the Australian galleries, the international galleries, and the Asian Gallery, where the display is augmented by significant works on long-term loan from prestigious international institutions. Refurbishments for QAG include a new Robin Gibson- designed entrance from Stanley Place. The Children's Art Centre's Kids' APT opens as part of APT5 and features 14 interactive art works especially for kids and their families. The Gallery launches Design your own Tour, a new interactive online resource assisting teachers to customise tours of APT5 for their students. January 2007 Some 126 145 young Gallery visitors enjoy 16 days of Kids' APT Summer Spectacular festival performances, artist-run workshops and activities from 13 to 28 January. For the first time, Kid's APT Summer Spectacular goes regional, with the simultaneous staging of children's activities across the state on 13 January; some 5709 children and their families participate in 18 venues Queensland- wide, including Bamaga Youth Centre, Bundaberg Arts Centre, Caloundra Regional Art Gallery, Gladstone Regional Art Gallery and Museum, Cooloola Shire Art Gallery (Gympie), Hervey Bay Regional Gallery, Ipswich Art Gallery, Logan Art Gallery, Artspace Mackay, Dogwood Crossing Art Gallery (Miles), Noosa Regional Gallery, Rockhampton Art Gallery, Stanthorpe Regional Art Gallery, Pinnacles Gallery (Thuringowa), Gab Titui Cultural Centre (Thursday Island), Toowoomba Regional Art Gallery, Perc Tucker Regional Gallery (Townsville) and Warwick Art Gallery. The Japan Fantastic: Before and Beyond Anime film program attracts anime enthusiasts of all ages during its 17 days of screenings at the Australian Cinémathèque. left to right The Honourable Rod Welford, mp , Minister for Education and Training and Minister for the Arts; The Honourable Peter Beattie, mp , Premier of Queensland; Mr Tony Ellwood, newly appointed Director of the Queensland Art Gallery; and Wayne Goss, Chair, Queensland Art Gallery Board of Trustees, at the announcement of Mr Ellwood's appointment on 18 May 2007. Installation view of the Asian art display, Gallery 2, QAG, which features many significant loans from overseas institutions. Preparation and packing of art works was undertaken for the move to GoMA.