Queensland Art Gallery Presscuttings Book 7 : Debate on New Art Gallery and Cultural Centre, 1970-1976

... r • K •t "Dlln't let too many eep I Government depart- • ..,.;11&11 ,:et Involved In ' tlle· 11C1heme. Don't em- plop-archHect!I who de- • I -e bulldl11P, or SI mp e enlll w)(o have I • ;.. ' Faeton~r. been runnlnr; Mr. Ferrier, of 'syd- . · ner, 'j!'bo bas been l!5 ·says yean In • how baslneu, la revt.ltlnr Brisbane In \ a prtaalp&I role with t he mu • lcal eomedr ' E • "Irene" a& Her Maje •- '\ / errler ff'• Theatre. · ff~ Is lnterewied In , \he Queen • land Onv- 1 · • · · . el'f!ment's proJeat to '1 9'¥ld Rowbotham build a Cultural Com- I , . pin on the • outh side , :Vttt,H AwtrallH i. the1'rl1bane River, • c t • , Hoel Ferrier The Government uld (• Nffl h•Pft lrlaltan • lut week that work on wlll .... r1• of ffll un• the Ml-million ao. mplex Mce11ery l11or crecl11 wnald start thla yea•·· for the 1ettln1 up of lh The complex will In- ' ,.___. Perforntlni elude an Art Oallery 1 'ii.' Library, Mu • eum, ana Artl '"'-'tntra, · erlormln,r arts Centre, •Let' • hope the plan• "I tru.t Brlallane I• nlnr and manarement I o o k In ,r to Adelaide wlllbe pat In the band, with lh Arts FettUval , ot a small ,rron. o! Ct111tre, and to Perth 1 people who kl!ffW..,...- • with , I.ta• F.IIU!ri.alnment \hey are doln,r," ~ • Cell~ TIMN are the Ferrier •aid. · ' two ,rreat •u•ee"""••" C 0 ---...~-,<1.., K\ o. -.\ J-\Vr·, ~ c..\-6~,- \ q 7 'S THI COUIUIR-MAIL SAT. 51"• 20 1'1S EDITORIAa..~:. Gei 011-~~0 1 with the show · 1 BRISBANE · b7at1 heard lt all be1ore, 10 en t rep r .e n,e·u r Michael Ed 11 e y added notblnr new with hll "cul~~ ral wasteland" ·br.· at performtnr> artt·: facllltles thl1 •etk:' . - •' . ~ ,. The need for lni,. · · proved, lndee<l -'even proper, facUltles ·Mf• i dance, music · 'and aper.a ha,11 be.en . obvious since World I War II. B r e a II t • beattni apout the need,. bas · I been •going on for I just as long, · :.'.' · ' The State Govern.:. · rnent lias · a · 12.: ' months-old plan-· for a $-45' mllllon multi- : • purpose arta · centre · on· the south baJU[ of Brisbane Rlver.'l'l?e. . It seemed' like- the · breakthrough aJ; laat. There la to ' be a centre for the pef– formlng .arts,... art ' gallery, ·. 11 b·r l r_y, l'estaurant - . a·l'l within easr strollln'I distance o the .c.ttf. But when do- 'Uie– brlcks and mortar begin to take shape? A period of ·econo– mic rece111ton m a y seem an Inappropri– ate time to begin pro– jects far · removed from day to day needs. Yet the preF, ent roaring lnflatton ls Just as good a N!a:~ son for a speedy atart. I So~ring THE 145 . million estimate atreacl7. will have • oared. • Tb.~ National Galle:r, Jn Canberra, 1 t a r t • d I with 11,i(,,, •r;et ,of $13.9 mmlon, now fa , estimated 'to eoat Pl million by the time . Ii l1 flnilhed In 19'.I. A start on the South Bank project ls urgent If that "cultu– ral wasteland" .cllche ls not to become an enduring fact. The time-table for the project ls five to seven years. But the city's m a J or 11 •v e theatre, Her Majesty's, may not last that distance. It ls under threat of demolition. Where to then'? \ Brisbane misses en– ough of the major performing arts al– ready. 28· , ' .