Annual Report 2014–15 Annual Report 2014–15 Published by the National Gallery of Australia Parkes Place, Canberra ACT 2600 GPO Box 1150, Canberra ACT 2601 nga.gov.au/aboutus/reports ISSN 1323 5192 © National Gallery of Australia 2015 All rights reserved. No part of this publication can be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Prepared by the Governance and Reporting Department Edited by Eric Meredith Designed by Carla Da Silva Pastrello Figures by Michael Tonna Index by Sherrey Quinn Printed by Union Offset Printers Cover: The 2015 Summer Art Scholars with Senior Curator Franchesca Cubillo in the Indigenous Urban gallery, 14 January 2015. 16 October 2015 Senator the Hon Mitch Fifield Minister for Communications Minister for the Arts Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Digital Government Parliament House CANBERRA ACT 2600 Dear Minister On behalf of the Council of the National Gallery of Australia, I have pleasure in submitting to you, for presentation to each House of Parliament, the National Gallery of Australia’s annual report covering the period 1 July 2014 to 30 June 2015. This report is submitted to you as required by section 39 of the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013. It is consistent with the requirements set out in the Commonwealth Authorities (Annual Reporting) Orders 2011, and due consideration has been given to the Requirements for Annual Reports approved by the Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit under subsections 63(2) and 70(2) of the Public Service Act 1999 and made available by the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet on 25 June 2015. The financial statements were prepared in accordance with the Finance Minister’s Orders made under the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013. Yours sincerely Allan Myers AO, QC Chair of Council NGA Annual Report 2014–15 3 4 CONTENTS Introduction Chair’s foreword 7 Director’s review 8 Agency overview About the NGA 14 Organisational structure 16 Strategic direction 17 Performance statements Summary of performance 19 Results and analysis 22 Develop, preserve and protect 23 Increase engagement 30 Maximise support 44 Financial statements Independent auditor’s report 52 Financial statements 54 Notes 60 Management and accountability Governance 85 Senior executive 89 Accountability 90 Management 91 Sharing our vision Australian Government 95 Affiliated groups 96 Corporate partnerships 97 Private donors 98 Appendices Appendix A: Exhibitions 109 Appendix B: Publishing and papers 111 Appendix C: Acquisitions 114 Appendix D: Staff statistics 131 Appendix E: Legislative requirements 133 Appendix F: Agency resource statement 136 Appendix G: List of requirements 137 Glossary and indices Glossary 139 Figures 140 Index 142 NGA Annual Report 2014–15 5 INTRODUCTION 6 Introduction CHAIR’S FOREWORD This year was an eventful year for the National level of support for collection development, Gallery of Australia with the appointment of predominantly through significant gifts. Dr Gerard Vaughan AM to succeed Dr Ron The Council appreciates the ongoing support of Radford AM, who concluded a ten-year term as the Australian Government through the former Director in September 2014. On behalf of the minister for the Arts Senator the Hon George NGA Council, I thank Ron and welcome Gerard. Brandis QC and our colleagues at the Ministry for We look forward to Gerard’s leadership in the Arts. shaping the next exciting period for the NGA. We also acknowledge the extraordinary efforts The many achievements during the year included of the NGA’s committed staff and express our the strategically focused development of the earnest appreciation for what has been another national art collection, successful fundraising to year of significant achievement for the National support programs and collection building, the Gallery of Australia. continued implementation of the NGA’s ambitious Allan Myers AO, QC digital art education and access strategy Chair of Council and successful delivery of a busy program of national and international exhibitions and other public programs. In addition, the NGA embarked on an ambitious program to change how the national collection is displayed and how visitors engage with the national collection. This will include a complete change in the display of works of art at the NGA, with Australian art to be shown on the principal level and international art to be displayed in the former Australian galleries. A new lighting strategy was also trialled this year and will be implemented throughout 2015–16 to ensure the national collection is seen in a completely different perspective. I acknowledge the ongoing efforts of my NGA Council colleagues in ensuring the success of the NGA. During the year, we welcomed Dr Gerard Vaughan AM, Jason Yeap OAM, Ezekiel Solomon AM and Rhonda White AO to the Council and reappointed Tim Fairfax AC and John Hindmarsh AM for second terms. Callum Morton concluded a six-year term, and I thank him for his enthusiastic support over those years. I also thank Catherine Harris AO, PSM, and Jeanne Pratt AC, whose terms concluded during the year, for their ongoing guidance and support. The achievements of the year were largely dependent on the support of our many donors, benefactors, sponsors and volunteers. I thank them all for their outstanding support. I also acknowledge the work of the NGA Foundation, particularly the leadership provided by Foundation Chair John Hindmarsh AM and the Board of the Foundation, in achieving a record NGA Annual Report 2014–15 7 DIRECTOR’S REVIEW Settling in We believe this approach will make the Australian I would like to begin by acknowledging the many galleries, in particular, much more interesting achievements over the past ten years of my to all our visitors, especially visiting school and predecessor Ron Radford, and I thank the NGA’s university groups. Senior Executive Team for their stewardship To engage visitors further in the broader precinct, between Ron’s retirement in September and we are also rethinking how the exterior of the my arrival in November and the efficient and building can be utilised, both during opening welcoming way in which they inducted me. hours and after hours. We are thinking about Ron left an impressive legacy, particularly with the relationship of the Sculpture Garden and the opening of the Stage 1 building project and the Turrell skyspace to the main building and our his long program of blockbuster exhibitions contemporary art annexe NGA Contemporary drawn from around the world. to draw new visitors to these previously It’s my great pleasure to report on an industrious underutilised areas. and interesting year in the NGA’s history. Shortly 2. Refresh the exhibitions schedule after I commenced, I was asked by the Council The exhibitions policy was reviewed to ensure to articulate my vision in a document reflecting that over any two- to three-year period, the my thinking and aspirations for the NGA, with NGA will maintain a balance between traditional the mandate of affecting a program of change. and contemporary art, and between Australian, Brainstorming meetings focusing on the major European and American, Asian and Pacific art. issues and opportunities facing the NGA were Ideally, the exhibition schedule, in any year, will held with senior staff over a period of some include a summer ‘blockbuster’ followed by a months and resulted in five key priorities being major Australian show during autumn and winter endorsed by Council. These priorities are: and a potential third major exhibition either 1. Initiate a rehang of the public galleries imported or curated from our own collection. Changing NGA is an ambitious project to We are currently negotiating with galleries around transform the visitor experience at the NGA. the world on a forward schedule of innovative In 2014–15, it has required a complete rethink of exhibitions, from next year to 2019–20. the entire collection, guided by new principles for 3. Develop a new approach to public engagement the way works are selected for display. The result New ways to engage our visitors are being at the end of 2015 will be the most fundamental developed, both onsite and remotely. This includes reorganisation and rehang since the building better and more useful signage, including digital opened in 1982. signage, new systems for welcoming visitors, Since the end of the reporting year, internal an improved catering offer and a far stronger demolition works have removed many layers of digital media presence. The NGA has been secondary walls and accretions, revealing some engaged in a rebranding exercise, following an remarkable original architecture and returning in-depth market research process, to position Level 2, in particular, to the open, spacious layout itself more strongly and creatively in the planned by Colin Madigan. The new display will consciousness of the Australian public. We are be lit by a state of the art LED lighting system, seeking a refreshed visual identity and, overall, which will have to be rolled out over four years an identifiable ‘NGA style’. The NGA’s existing due to cost constraints. The existing tungsten digital strategy is being reviewed, with a system is no longer adequate. particular emphasis on remote access and our The general plan is to bring the non-Indigenous national educational role. The no photography Australian collections downstairs to the main rule was lifted in January 2015 and was extremely level, alongside the Indigenous galleries, and well received by our visitors. to install the international collections on Level 2. Works will be selected and hung far 4. Create a new Department of Global Contemporary Practice more according to themes and ideas in which works representing all media we collect will be The NGA has created a department focused grouped to reflect the Australian experience.