Art Gallery of Ballarat Annual Report 14-15 Annual Report 2014-15 Chair’s Report 4 Director’s Report 8 Association Report 10 Gallery Guides Report 12 Acquisitions 14 Adopt an Artwork 26 Donations, Gifts, and Bequests 27 Exhibitions 28 EIKŌN: Icons of the Orthodox Christian World 30 Touring Exhibitions 32 Outward Loans 34 Publications & Merchandise 36 Education Report 38 Public Programs 40 ISSN 0726-5530 Gallery Staff and Volunteers 49 Art Gallery of Ballarat Board Members 50 ACN: 145 246 224 ABN: 28 145 246 224 Budget Summaries 52 40 Lydiard Street North Ballarat Victoria 3350 T 03 5320 5858 F 03 5320 5791 [email protected] www.artgalleryofballarat.com.au Image right: installation view of EIKŌN: Icons of the Orthodox Christian World Image next page: Hugh DT Williamson Gallery Vision The Art Gallery of Ballarat where Art Inspires, Stimulates and Challenges Mission To foster and enrich the cultural life of our city, our region and the Nation by acquiring, conserving and presenting a great collection of art. Image: installation view of Art and Australia 2003 – 2013 3 Chair’s Report Art Gallery of Ballarat Board of Directors I often tell people that the Art Gallery of Ballarat is about a city wide program around the exhibition, including withdrawal of our café proprietors early this year allowed us art: we buy it, we show it, we lend it and we store it. The launching the Season of the Arts Program. The Archibald to trial The Salon, a relaxed meeting area, which has been challenge for us is how to do this in a creative and inspiring Prize 15-16 Exhibitions and the Art Gallery of Ballarat major very popular with Association Members, staff and visitors. way. exhibitions will be a key feature of the program. Staff are already working on the 2017 exhibition, something very Whilst it is not yet quite complete, I have worked with the Our 2014-2018 Strategic Plan Building for the Future is the way different and original. It is clear we have an exciting few leaders of the Gallery Association, Foundation and Guides, to we plan to go about doing this, and this year’s milestones years ahead of us. create a draft Gallery Alliance MOU. The MOU will document aim to achieve our four key building pillars: to build an a number of past commitments, and the relationships inspiring exhibition schedule, and to build our footprint, our In coming months, we will begin work on our gap analysis and the expectations each group has with each other. The collection, and our relationships. and concepts for the building redesign. Having the document has taken longer than expected, but should be Archibald Prize Exhibition entrance and other activities in completed early in 2016. This year saw our diverse exhibition schedule once again Alfred Deakin Place has shown how activated the space can continue to deliver successful and profitable exhibitions be with just a little work. Recent discussions about our plans This year, with assistance from the City of Ballarat, we with record visitor numbers attracting people to the gallery with Natalie Reiter, City of Ballarat General Manager, will see continued to support and provide governance professional many for their first visit. a Master Plan for the Gallery precinct developed to support development with other local boards, holding our second our Strategic Plan work in the coming months. Governance Training Day in May. With twenty-five in In my first official duty as Chair, I had great pleasure in attendance, representing at least twelve boards, the overall attending the opening of EIKŌN: Icons of the Orthodox We are often so focused on what needs to be accomplished feedback was positive with requests for us to do this again. Christian World. Most visitors to this exhibition were from that we forget to stop, review and reflect on what we have outside Ballarat and kicked off our schedule with something achieved. Much of the work for the Board in the past year I would like to thank Natalie Reiter and the City of Ballarat quite unique to Ballarat. has been one of consolidation; it has been a time to review for their ongoing commitment to the Gallery. Thank you our processes, to ensure that after four years with our for having faith in the Board and allowing us to grow and This year the Capturing Flora exhibition on loan to Cairns current governance structure we have the correct processes develop the Gallery as we believe it needs to. Regional Gallery did exceptionally well gaining more than and agreements in place. It is also important to ensure that 25,000 visitors and a request from the Director at Cairns for we have the right people and resources in order for us to In October, we held our second Western Region Gallery more of our ‘home grown’ shows. achieve our vision and deliver the Strategic Plan. Forum with the topic ‘Models of Gallery Directorship’. Gallery Directors from most of our regional galleries attended, and As I write this, the Gallery is experiencing more than 1100 With this in mind, the Board undertook a review of our there was plenty of food for thought with clearly some visitors per day to the Archibald Prize 2015 Exhibition, and City of Ballarat Service Agreements. Key outcomes from interesting challenges for some directors and galleries. the Board is confident we will easily meet projected targets the review include changing the Funding Agreement from and KPIs. These visitors have enjoyed not only the Archibald annual to triennial funding, and updating the Premises To Kelly Smith and her ‘no problems’ attitude, your work with exhibition, but many other Ballarat attractions after a joint Agreement to give control of the café lease to the Board. the Board is greatly appreciated. project with the City of Ballarat saw the appointment of Jennifer Ganske as the Season of the Arts Coordinator. With control of the café lease and liquor licence, the Board Thank you to Gordon Morrison and his team of very has greater flexibility in how we can provide catering for committed and skilled staff for their dedicated work. Once Jennifer worked with a range of key stakeholders to build Gallery events. This was demonstrated when the sudden again, staff across the Gallery delivered another year of 4 5 outstanding exhibitions and results. Congratulations to Ben directors, Stirling Larkin, Simon Cox and Michelle Dunn to Cox for his work on the For Auld Lang Syne catalogue, which the Board. These individuals bring a wealth of experience, won the first prize at the national printers awards for best skills and networks to our Board. quality bound book in Australia in 2014. I thank my fellow Directors on the Art Gallery of Ballarat To assist the Chair this year, we formed an Executive and Board for their commitment to delivery of the Strategic Plan, Risk Sub-committee who oversee Board agendas, follow up and the contribution they make at Board level and on the on outstanding actions and provide advice on key issues. various sub-committees. I would like to thank Peter Afford, Mark Harris and Tunde Meikle for your support this year and assistance on this To our volunteers and Gallery friends, the Gallery committee. Association, and the Gallery Foundation, the Guides, Women’s Association, thank you for your hard work and The Governance and Nominations Committee had a busy commitment to the Gallery and its projects. year developing and reviewing a number of Board policies and procedures. This included a simplification of the Finally, I look forward to the coming year as we work Acquisitions and Deaccession Policies and Procedures, and a together to build and strengthen the Art Gallery of Ballarat formal process for Board Recruitment and Appointment. as Australia’s foremost regional gallery. This year we farewell several directors including Derek I leave you with a quote from Helen Keller, ‘Alone we can do White, Garry Taylor and Joe Fleming, who left at last year’s so little, together we can do so much’. AGM, or earlier in the year. Angela Carey and Tunde Meikle have not reapplied to the Board due to work and family commitments. I take this opportunity to thank all retiring Cr Vicki Coltman Directors for their contribution over the past three years and Chair wish them well. We welcomed two new ex-officio members onto the Board this year — Barry Wemyss, President of the Gallery Association and Mark Guirguis, Chair of the Gallery Foundation. Barry and Mark provide a connection for the Board with the Association Members and Foundation Trustees, whilst providing an opportunity for them to contribute to the Board’s overall strategic work. Stacey Grose has held a casual vacancy on the board since May. I am pleased that we will appoint her and three new 6 7 Director’s Report Always it seems that it is the major temporary exhibitions In Autumn we mounted the second Guirguis New Art Prize that dominate our reporting and in the 12 months here in conjunction with Federation University. While the winning under review it is no exception. We began this period with work, Lou Hubbard’s Dead Still Standing passed into the the final month of the monumental for Auld Lang Syne University collection, the Art Gallery of Ballarat chose to exhibition and we ended the year with preparations in full purchase Pakitiringa (Rain) by Conrad Tipungwuti. swing for the 2015 iteration of the Archibald Prize. From a human resources perspective the 2014-15 period However, it was during the months from October 2014 was one of continuity with no significant changes to until January 2015 that we mounted an exhibition that report.