A $4 million redevelopment of the Latrobe Regional Gallery will build upon the Gallery’s reputation and strengths, and further enhance the Gallery’s ability to attract important exhibitions.
Currently, stage one of the redevelopment work is nearing completion. Latrobe City Mayor, Councillor Tony Hanning said that Latrobe City would feature a state of the art Gallery, once stage two is completed in 2002.
“The Latrobe Regional Gallery is an important facility not just for the Latrobe, but for Victoria, and visitors from interstate and overseas,” the Mayor said. ‘The Gallery redevelopment will ensure the collection continues to grow within our community, and enhances the quality of life for our citizens.”
Chairperson of the Steering Committee, architect John Fowler, said the Gallery redevelopment would facilitate the current and future collection and programs well into the 21st century.
“Once the refurbishment is completed, it will be possible to display at least 30 percent of the impressive collection at any one time, as opposed to the three or four percent occasionally exhibited now,” John Fowler said.
The Gallery, established in 1971, has developed a national and regional collection of significance, which reflects the high standing the Gippsland region has within the national arts arena.
“These include work on cultural awareness, staff and Councillor training; consultation with the local Gunai Kurnai elders on specific issues such as the use of local Indigenous place names; reflecting the Council’s commitments in civic structure and in environment protection; and also in the provision of Council services to Indigenous and non Indigenous members of the community.
The permanent collection now numbers 884 artworks, which includes sculpture, ceramics, glass, paintings and works on paper mediums. The collection is valued at $1.4 million.
The Latrobe Regional Gallery has recently received a very significant bequest of valuable Asian Art from the estate of the late Allan Aldous, an Australian freelance writer, because of its demonstrated interest in Asian Art and the established relationships forged between Latrobe and its Sister Cities in Asia.
The completion of the redevelopment stage one, which includes creating access for the disabled, will be marked by a ceremony with Federal Arts Minister and Minister for the Centenary of Federation, Peter McGauran, this month.
Stage one has been funded as part of the Commonwealth Government’s Federation Funding.
