2012-13 Report

04 Queensland Art Gallery Board of Trustees Annual Report 2012–13

INTRODUCTION

Vision

Increased quality of life for all Queenslanders through enhanced access, understanding

and enjoyment of the visual arts, and the assurance of Queensland’s reputation as a

culturally dynamic state.

Mission

To be the focus for the visual arts in Queensland and a

dynamic and accessible art museum of international standing.

Queensland Art Gallery

Gallery of Modern Art

The Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art

(QAGOMA), Queensland's premier visual art institution

and a major cultural tourism attraction for Queensland,

aims to connect art and people. Established in 1895 as the

Queensland National Art Gallery, it was housed in temporary

premises until the opening of the Queensland Art Gallery

(QAG) building at South Bank in 1982.

The Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA), which opened in December

2006, focuses on the art of the twentieth and twenty-first

centuries, while QAG primarily profiles historical collections

and exhibitions. The Gallery’s Collection comprises more than

16 000 historical and contemporary Australian, Indigenous

Australian, Asian, Pacific and international works of art.

Annually, QAGOMA presents a program of Australian and

international exhibitions, showcasing art works from a diverse

range of artists, as well as art movements of historical and

contemporary importance and interest.

The Gallery’s flagship project is the Asia Pacific Triennial of

Contemporary Art (APT), the only major recurring international

exhibition series to focus exclusively on the contemporary art

of Asia, the Pacific and Australia. ‘The 7th Asia Pacific Triennial

of Contemporary Art’ (APT7), presented from December 2012

to April 2013, celebrated the APT’s 20th anniversary.

Since the inception of the APT, the Gallery has formed an

internationally significant collection of art from the Asia Pacific

region and has initiated a series of country-specific exhibitions

drawn from the Collection: ‘The China Project’ (2009),

‘Unnerved: The New Zealand Project’ (2010), while a project

focusing on Japan is planned for 2014.

The ‘Contemporary Australia’ exhibition series is the Gallery’s

survey of contemporary Australian art, and it highlights the

extraordinary range, ambition and achievement of Australian

contemporary art practice. ‘Contemporary Australia: Optimism’

(2008) was the inaugural exhibition, while the second,

‘Contemporary Australia: Women’, was held in 2012.

QAGOMA is the only state gallery to provide ongoing

regional touring exhibitions and programs, ensuring all

Queenslanders have access to the Collection. The Gallery

is particularly committed to profiling Queensland artists and

strengthening relationships with Indigenous communities

through a dedicated acquisition focus, an exhibition program

and public engagement strategies.

GOMA continues to be the only art museum in Australia

to feature purpose-built facilities dedicated to film and

the moving image. The Gallery’s Australian Cinémathèque

presents retrospective and thematic film programs and

exhibitions showcasing the work of infuential filmmakers and

artists. Significant international, Asian, Pacific, Australian and

Indigenous Australian artists are represented in the Gallery’s

film and moving-image collection.

The Gallery’s Children’s Art Centre is an international leader

in developing interactive art projects for children. It is also

highly regarded for its innovation in audience access strategies,

and presents engaging, large-scale public programs, often

integrating new technologies to enhance the visitor experience.

The Gallery publishes a range of research and scholarship on

the Collection, exhibitions and artists, all of which is accessible

to a wide readership via exhibition catalogues, monographs,

books, websites and brochures. The Gallery also engages

in publishing for children, through the Gallery’s Children’s

Art Centre.

The Gallery’s innovative and wide-ranging education and public

programs highlight the visual arts as an interconnected part

of broader culture, relevant to the lives of diverse audiences,

including children, young people and seniors.

Exhibitions, publications, public programs and collecting

practices, all of which form the Gallery’s core business, make

art more accessible to Queenslanders, enhance the visitor

experience and help define us as a community.

The Gallery is governed by the Queensland Art Gallery Board

of Trustees (Board).