While many things differentiate the city from the bush across our great nation, one shared interest may surprise you; our mutual appreciation of the intrinsic and economic value of the visual arts.
While the Art Gallery of New South Wales and the Museum of Contemporary Art are understandably placed on a pedestal by our political leaders and tourists, the vast majority of NSW's 60 art galleries are in regional areas.
Towns such as Albury, Bega, Coffs Harbour, Dubbo and Tamworth all rely on their respective galleries to enhance their tourist offering and marketability.
As a Create NSW Visual Arts Advisory Board member, I experience first-hand the incredible contribution regional art galleries make to their communities.
In Newcastle, we are fortunate to be the custodian of one of the most valuable collections of art in regional Australia. Significant and diverse, the $115 million collection provides a time capsule of Australian art dating back more than 200 years to when Newcastle became Australia's second city to be settled.
The vast majority of NSW's 60 art galleries are in regional areas.
Newcastle Art Gallery shares this incredible collection with Australia through a touring program to regional, state and national institutions. During the past four years alone, many of our works of art have travelled to galleries around the country and have been viewed by about one million people. The majority of these galleries are not in capital cities and hence our collection has provided a significant economic stimulus for regional areas.
As noted earlier this week by the Nationals candidate for the seat of Hunter, James Thomson, Newcastle Art Gallery is a significant regional tourism asset.
This is confirmed in a report by the Australia Council for the Arts that found arts experiences have a growing role as a driver for tourism in Australia and are increasingly part of visitors' itineraries. The report presented trends and insights on how Australians connect with the arts as they travel, whether on short daytrips or longer overnight stays.
A thriving arts ecology is crucial to the vibrancy, liveability and attractiveness of every city and region. In NSW the arts contribute more than $17 billion to the economy and provide 150,000 direct and indirect jobs.
City of Newcastle is committed to Newcastle Art Gallery continuing to be a symbol of excellence and source of pride among regional Australia. The community views the gallery as a repeat destination for leisure and education, with increased demand to see a larger number of works on permanent display from iconic artists such as Joseph Lycett, Margaret Olley, Brett Whiteley and Newcastle's own Sir William Dobell and John Olsen.
However, as is widely known, the limited size of the gallery allows only 1 per cent of the collection to be displayed at any one time. To appropriately meet the growing expectations of our community, the existing 44-year-old building needs an expansion to provide modern facilities such as multiple exhibition spaces including several dedicated to permanent display, a cafe, retail shop, multi-purpose program space, and a secure international standard loading dock.
Independent modelling has found that by not expanding the art gallery, the Hunter region is missing out on almost $3 million each year via 73,000 tourist who would have come to visit. Further, in 2019 the NSW government recognised the expansion as a region-specific opportunity in their Cultural Infrastructure Plan.
An expanded and upgraded gallery of international standing will enable increased exhibition and community engagement programming for Hunter residents while also offering a valuable cultural tourism opportunity for regional NSW.
Along with increased public and education programs, employment and enterprise opportunities, which meet key economic, social and environmental priorities, the expansion of Newcastle Art Gallery will consolidate the Hunter's reputation as an active and vibrant centre for the arts in NSW.
The $35.6 million expansion will benefit the NSW economy through the creation of 170 jobs, comprising 152 temporary jobs during the construction phase and 18 ongoing once it reopens.
Last week, the shovel-ready project received the last in a long line of building approvals allowing it to proceed. Subsidence Advisory NSW signed off on the proposed grouting that will strengthen former mine workings that ran along parts of Cooks Hill more than a century ago and can now be safely built over.
Should the federal or NSW governments choose to support the expansion of the Newcastle Art Gallery with a grant of $10 million, it will be a win not just for the Hunter and NSW, but for all of regional Australia.
