MCA Annual Report 2016

The MCA is Australia’s Museum of Contemporary Art, dedicated to exhibiting, collecting and interpreting the work of today’s artists.

The MCA exists because contemporary art matters: it stimulates the imagination, engages our aesthetic senses and has the power to transform lives. Contemporary artists address complex ideas, they challenge us to think and see the world differently to inform our outlook on life and society.

Located on one of the world’s most spectacular sites on the edge of Sydney Harbour, opposite the Sydney Opera House, the Museum presents vibrant and popular exhibition and learning programs that continually inspire people. With an entire floor dedicated to the MCA Collection and two floors featuring changing exhibitions showcasing Australian and international artists, the Museum offers a major national resource for education and interpretative programs.

The National Centre for Creative Learning including a library, digital and multimedia studios, a seminar room and lecture theatre, provides spaces for people of all ages to create and connect with art and artists.

Site-specific commissions take art outside the galleries, and the MCA continues to engage with audiences beyond its harbourside home through a program of touring exhibitions and C3West, a collaboration with both arts and non-arts partners in Western Sydney.

[ISFC] 2 Huseyin Sami and artist collective Danny Rose , The Matter of Painting, 2016, Museum of Contemporary Art Australia for Vivid Sydney, May 2016, light projection, image courtesy and © the artists, photograph: Anna Kučera

MCA Annual Report 2016

Section One 4 Chairman’s and Director’s Messages 6 2016 Highlights 7 Curatorial and Digital 29 Audience Engagement 39 Development and Enterprises 47 Finance and Corporate Services

Section Two Financial Report

Airan Kang, Digital Book Project 2016, installation view, New Romance: art and the posthuman, Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, LED lights, resin, 107 x custom electronic books, image courtesy and © the artist, photograph: Jacquie Manning 3

MCA Annual Report 2016

Connecting a broad and diverse public with the work of living artists, the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia pursues curatorial excellence and innovation in audience engagement.

The MCA embodies the following key values: • Artists are central to all our activities • Making challenging and complex work accessible • Fostering creativity and critical thinking • An entrepreneurial outlook • Collaboration is key • Sustainable and resilient

MCA Chairman Simon Mordant AM and MCA Director Elizabeth Ann Macgregor OBE pictured in front of Gordon Bennett , Possession Island (Abstraction), 1991, Tate and the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, purchased jointly with funds provided by the Qantas Foundation, 2016, image courtesy and © Gordon Bennett Estate 2016, photograph: Ken Leanfore

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Nearly five years’ since its redevelopment, the 2016 was another landmark year for the MCA MCA continues to strengthen financially and with record attendances onsite – 1.2 million artistically as an arts and community leader. visitors – and record engagement online and Both operating and comprehensive results for through social channels. the year delivered surpluses, creating an excellent platform from which to continue We realised an ambitious exhibition and investment in initiatives commenced in 2016 and commissions program. A major rehang of the to begin new projects in 2017. MCA Collection opened in September with the new presentation, MCA Collection: Today, Visitation and audience engagement across all Tomorrow, Yesterday, including work by more touchpoints continues to grow, especially social than forty Australian artists from the 1960s to and online media. Opportunities to work with the present. artists and to commission and acquire new and important work of Australian artists increased in Our vibrant temporary exhibition program 2016 through the financial support of Qantas featured both group shows and career surveys, and the MCA Foundation. and highlighted artists from China, South Korea and Japan alongside emerging and established Board and staff members have continued to Australian practitioners. We were especially share their expertise regionally and pleased to present Louise Hearman’s first major internationally through the development of solo museum exhibition – an overdue accolade. collaborative projects, presentations and training and involvement in industry forums. We welcomed new artist commissions on the Sculpture Terrace, the foyer wall and in the We are very grateful for the important support Jackson Bella Room. A collaboration with that we have received in 2016 from our Liverpool Council saw the issue of food security government and corporate partners, the MCA effectively and significantly highlighted in a Foundation, our loyal MCA Ambassadors and the Liverpool carpark by the C3West project Food trusts and foundations who help us change lives Fight. The first acquisitions made through the through engagement with contemporary art and MCA Qantas Tate Joint Acquisition Program artists. The annual Bella fundraising evening were announced in London in the presence of again surpassed all expectations so a special artists, representatives from all partners and thank you to all those who generously donated international media. to ensure that this valuable work continues. We finished the year with a major milestone as I would also like to acknowledge the vision of we celebrated the MCA’s 25th birthday with a MCA Director Elizabeth Ann Macgregor and the special weekend full of live art events for all ages hard work and creative endeavour of the team of and audiences throughout the Museum. While dedicated MCA staff who truly ‘punch above we closed this busy and rewarding year with a their weight’. I would like to thank my fellow celebration of our past, we also looked to the board members for their work and commitment. future through the eyes of our enthusiastic and

With strong leadership, a dedicated team, loyal insightful Kids Committee and Youth Committee partners and supporters, the MCA can again members who took visitors on engaging art journeys through the Museum. celebrate a rewarding and successful year and continue to grow our ambitions to support a I hope you will be with us for the next 25 years vibrant and thriving artistic community and as we continue to foster discussion, debate, opportunities to engage with contemporary art appreciation and change through for all. contemporary art.

Simon Mordant AM Elizabeth Ann Macgregor OBE

MCA Annual Report 2016 Highlights

MCA turned 25 On 11–13 November 2016, gallery visitors, artists, special guests, and kids and families joined in the celebrations for the MCA’s 25th birthday. 10,948 visitors attended over the three days, taking part in 45 events and programs. The Twitter Blue Room was on site and we reached over 11 million people with the #MCA25 hashtag and generated 22.8 million page impressions on twitter and Instagram. Photograph: Anna Kučera

1.2 million + In 2016, over 1.2 million visitors came to the MCA, more than ever before. 23 new artist projects and commissions were undertaken and 139,028 people took part in audience engagement activities, including MCA ARTBAR, Zine Fair, workshops, learning programs, family activities, talks, access programs, performances and more. Photograph: Sam Whiteside

First acquisitions The first acquisitions by the MCA, Qantas and Tate Joint Acquisition Program (made possible through a $2.75 million corporate gift from the Qantas Foundation), were revealed in May 2016 and include two large video installations, Transit 2011 by Susan Norrie and tall man 2010 by Vernon Ah Kee, two paintings by Gordon Bennett (Possession Island (Abstraction) 1991 and Number Nine 2008) and an artist book by Judy Watson (a preponderance of aboriginal blood 2005). Photograph: Ken Leanfore

Social takes off The MCA proved popular throughout 2016 on social media and finished the year with 108.229 Facebook fans (+ 13%) and 66,000 Instagram followers (+60%). Following a guided tour and lunch at GrazeMCA, surprise visitor documentary filmmaker Louis Theroux retweeted the image posted of his visit to his 1.5 million followers. Photograph: Anna Kučera

Recognition MCA Volunteer Guide Judy Friend was presented with Lifetime MCA Membership in recognition of her contribution to the MCA over the past 25 years. MCA Chairman Simon Mordant made the presentation at a special celebration in October. Judy also received the NSW Premier’s Volunteer Recognition Program Certificate. Photograph: Jacquie Manning

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MCA Annual Report 2016 Curatorial and Digital

The MCA’s Curatorial and Digital Division celebrates art and artists, connecting audiences with the work of living artists. In 2016, the team presented:

• 3 continuing exhibitions from 2015; • 8 new exhibitions; • 2 touring exhibitions; • 23 new artist projects/commissions; • 2 C3West projects; • 1 major international conference; and • published 6 new books.

In addition, the first complete rehang of the MCA Collection since 2012 was completed when MCA Collection: Today Tomorrow Yesterday was unveiled in August. Inside/Out, the MCA Collection resource room, was redesigned to coincide with the rehang and features new interactive digital resources and a new artist commission, The Forties.

The first acquisitions made in partnership with Tate (as part of the five-year International Joint Acquisition Program for contemporary Australian art, made possible through a gift from the Qantas Foundation) were placed on display.

Digital resources were further enhanced with the development of a new online learning resource portal and a new artist- designed online course for high school students. 7

MCA Annual Report 2016 Curatorial and Digital

GRAYSON PERRY: MY PRETTY LITTLE ART CAREER 10 December 2015 – 1 May 2016, ticketed Curator Rachel Kent This major exhibition of works by Grayson Perry, one of Britain’s most acclaimed contemporary artists and winner of the 2003 Turner Prize, was presented as part of the 2015-16 Sydney International Art Series. Perry’s first major survey in the Southern hemisphere, the exhibition introduced the full spectrum of his practice from the late 1980s to the present, and encompassed a diverse and comprehensive selection of the artist’s ceramic works, sculptures in iron and bronze, prints and drawings, and his ambitious, large- scale tapestries. Strategic Partners: NSW Government, Destination NSW; Presenting Partner: Citi; Media Partner: The Sydney Morning Herald

Venue Dates Duration (Days) Total Visits

MCA 10 December 2015 – 1 May 2016 143 80,188

BEING TIWI 21 December 2015 – 21 February 2016, free entry Curators Natasha Bullock and Keith Munro This MCA Collection-based exhibition highlighted the dynamic work of nine contemporary artists from the Tiwi Islands. The show revealed how the expressive and experimental work being produced on the Islands continues to realise the Tiwi traditions of life and culture in different forms. A range of artworks from print media to painting were showcased, including the first prints produced at Tiwi Design, a selection of works on paper newly acquired for the MCA Collection and works commissioned especially for the exhibition.

Venue Dates Duration (Days) Total Visits

MCA 21 December 2015 – 21 February 2016 63 109, 456

Instameeters pose in front of Grayson Perry , Expulsion from Number Being Tiwi, installation view, Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, 2015, 8 Eden Close from the series The Vanity of Small Differences, 2012, image courtesy and © the artists / Licensed by Viscopy 2016, photograph: installation view, Grayson Perry: My Pretty Little Art Career, Museum Christopher Snee of Contemporary Art, 2015, wool, cotton, acrylic, polyester and silk tapestry, edition of 6 plus 2 AP, image courtesy the Artist and Victoria

Miro, London © Grayson Perry, photograph: Bella Szukilojc

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MCA Annual Report 2016 Curatorial and Digital

MIKALA DWYER: MCA COLLECTION 21 December 2015 – 21 February 2016, free entry Curator Natasha Bullock Recently acquired for the MCA Collection, Sydney artist Mikala Dwyer’s Square Cloud Compound (2010), a mysterious enclosure made from brightly coloured fabric cubes sewn into a huge canopy, was displayed alongside a gift from the artist to the MCA: a new multi-coloured wall painting, Spell for a Corner (2015), that references a bird, moth, bat or phoenix rising.

Venue Dates Duration (Days) Total Visits

MCA 21 December 2015 – 21 February 2016 63 77, 019

20TH BIENNALE OF SYDNEY: THE FUTURE IS ALREADY HERE – IT’S JUST NOT EVENLY DISTRIBUTED 18 March 2016 – 05 June 2016, free entry Curator Stephanie Rosenthal This Biennale was structured around a series of thematic clusters, conceived as ‘embassies’, with each exhibition space providing a transient home for particular constellations of thought – promoting dialogue and understanding through the coming together of ideas in a particular location. The MCA was the Embassy of Translation, bringing together strategies and approaches that revisited historical material, probing them for ongoing relevance and currency, asking what it means for an artistic practice to work with history as one material amongst others, to restage it now and to bridge the temporal gap through translation and reinvention.

Venue Dates Duration (Days) Total Visits

MCA 18 March 2016 – 05 June 2016 80 155,652

Mikala Dwyer, Square Cloud Compound, 2010, installation view Mikala Dwyer: MCA Collection, Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, 2015, fabric stockings, glass, beer, champagne, plastic, ceramics, found things, wood, rocks, lights, paint, acrylic, cat and bird ornaments, Museum of Contemporary Art, purchased with funds provided by the MCA Foundation, 2015, image courtesy and © the artist, photograph: Jessica Maurer

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MCA Annual Report 2016 Curatorial and Digital

TELLING TALES: EXCURSIONS IN NARRATIVE FORM 02 June – 09 October 2016, free entry Curator Rachel Kent This exhibition explored the varied, inventive approaches to narrative form taken by 14 leading Australian and international artists and groups. Encompassing painting, sculpture, photography and film, their works unpicked conventional storytelling approaches and reconsidered ideas around structure, duration, repetition and fragmentation. Individual works broke away from a traditional linear format, instead presenting cyclical and open-ended stories; narration through non-verbal communication or silence; and mysterious, incomplete narratives constructed through fragments and clues.

Venue Dates Duration (Days) Total Visits

MCA 02 June – 09 October 2016 123 156,423

NEW ROMANCE: ART AND THE POSTHUMAN 30 June – 04 September 2016, free entry Curator Anna Davis Bringing together artists from Australia and Korea whose works encouraged us to ask what it means to be human, and what it might mean in the future, this exhibition featured works that drew inspiration from science fiction, robotics, biotechnology, consumer products and social media, and offered experiences that raised questions around the idea of the posthuman; a concept that signals new understandings of humanity and a breakdown of boundaries between what we think of as natural and artificial. These curious and inventive works made visitors wonder what the future might hold.

Venue Dates Duration (Days) Total Visits

MCA 30 June – 04 September 2016 67 187,971

Telling Tales: Excursions in Narrative Form, installation view, Museum of New Romance: art and the posthuman, installation view, Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, June 2016. Featured: Lee Mingwei, Sonic Contemporary Art Australia, 2016. Featured: Airan Kang, Digital Book Blossom, 2013-present, Ongoing participatory performance installation with Project, 2016, LED lights, resin, 107 x custom electronic books, image chair, music stand, costume, and spontaneous song, dimensions variable, courtesy and © the artist, photograph: Jacquie Manning. photograph Jacquie Manning.

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MCA Annual Report 2016 Curatorial and Digital

PRIMAVERA 2016: YOUNG AUSTRALIAN ARTISTS 29 September 2016 – 04 December 2016, free entry Curator: Emily Cormack Primavera 2016: Young Australian Artists featured eight artists whose work highlighted the ways in which art can connect physically with the viewer, and how an artwork’s meaning can be generated by this bodily encounter. The exhibition drew on theories about 'embodied cognition’, a rapidly expanding field of cognitive science (the study of thought, learning and mental organisation) which puts forward the argument that the creation of knowledge might first begin in the body rather than the brain. Primavera was initiated in 1992 and is the MCA’s annual exhibition for Australian artists aged 35 years and under. The Primavera exhibition series was founded through the generous benefaction of Dr Edward Jackson AM and Mrs Cynthia Jackson AM and their family in memory of their daughter and sister Belinda.

Venue Dates Duration (Days) Total Visits

MCA 29 September – 04 December 2016 67 70,243

LOUISE HEARMAN 29 September – 04 December 2016, free entry Curator: Anna Davis This was 2016 Archibald prizewinner Louise Hearman’s first major solo museum exhibition and featured works from 1990-2016. Visitors discovered that things in Louise Hearman’s paintings and drawings are not always as they seem. It is up to the observer to imagine what is glimmering in the half-light or lurking deep in the shadows, as the artist offered no written clues to her usually untitled works. By combining familiar imagery with personal visions of the unknown and the unknowable, these works hinted at the compelling nonverbal nature of the observer’s private thoughts and imaginings.

Venue Dates Duration (Days) Total Visits

MCA 29 September – 04 December 2016 67 100,597

Mira Oosterweghel , Precarious Life, 2016, rope, dowel, dyna-bolts, single- Louise Hearman, installation view, Museum of Contemporary Art channel digital video, sound, performers: Marianna Joslin, Lee-Ann Litton, Australia, 2015. Featured left: Louise Hearman, Untitled #1213, 2007, oil Kathryn Puie, Kate Reid, Installation view, Primavera 2016: Young on masonite, collection of the artist. Featured right: Louise Hearman , Australian Artists, Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, Sydney, 2016, Untitled #1284, 2009, oil on masonite, Collection of the artist, image funding assistance from the Moonee Valley Foundation, 2016 and the courtesy and © the artist, photograph: Jacquie Manning Australia Council for the Arts, image courtesy and © the artist, photograph: Jacquie Manning

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MCA Annual Report 2016 Curatorial and Digital

TATSUO MIYAJIMA: CONNECT WITH EVERYTHING 03 November 2016 – 5 March 2017, ticketed Curator: Rachel Kent One of Japan’s most renowned contemporary artists, Tatsuo Miyajima is known for his sculptures and room-scale installations incorporating light and numbers. This, the artist’s first exhibition in the Southern Hemisphere, encompassed his sculptural works, rooms and environments, and performance videos. Time and its passage were explored through the works and represented visually by multiple, small digital counting devices.

Venue Dates Duration (Days) Total Visits

MCA 3 November 2016 – 5 March 2017 122 80,252

PRIMAVERA AT 25: MCA COLLECTION 19 December 2016 – 19 March 2017, free entry Curator: Megan Robson Primavera at 25: MCA Collection celebrated twenty-five years of the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia’s Primavera exhibition and brought together works from the MCA Collection by 22 artists and artist groups, who have previously exhibited in Primavera, that explore ideas of transformation, time and history. One of the longest-running exhibition series in the country, Primavera has become a significant platform for early career artists. Over 206 artists have exhibited in the annual exhibition between 1992 to 2016. Primavera artists have gone on to exhibit both nationally and internationally, to become influential educators, and to play a significant role in the development of contemporary art practice in Australia.

Venue Dates Duration (Days) Total Visits

MCA 19 December 2016 – 19 March 2017 90 179,198

Tatsuo Miyajima, Mega Death, 1999/2016, installation view, Tatsuo Primavera at 25, installation view, Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, 2016, Miyajima: Connect with Everything, Museum of Contemporary Art Featured front: Danie Mellor, Native Gold, 2008, taxidermied kangaroo, Australia, 2016, LED, IC, electric wire, infrared sensor, Domus Collection, taxidermied birds, wood, gold plated ceramic, mosaic tiles on eucalyptus branches, image courtesy and © the artist, photograph: Anna Kučera expanded polyurethane foam, glitter, neon lights, Museum of Contemporary Art,

purchased with funds donated by the Mordant Family, 2008, image courtesy and © the artist. Featured rear: Agatha Gothe-Snape, Emotional Wall with Everything Else, 2012-13, synthetic polymer paint on wall, Museum of Contemporary Art, purchased with funds provided by the MCA Foundation, 2016, image courtesy the artist and The Commercial, Sydney © the artist, photograph: Alex Davies

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MCA Annual Report 2016 Curatorial and Digital

MCA COLLECTION Curator: Natasha Bullock

The MCA Collection consists of 4,316 works (representing 1,022 artists) accessioned since the establishment of the Museum of Contemporary Art in 1989, including photography, sculpture, painting, barks, etchings, video works, and installation. Collecting is a vital part of the MCA’s support for Australian artists and is crucial in terms of endorsing the importance of preserving Australian art for future generations. In 2016, the MCA accessioned 54 works into the Collection. Acquisition highlights made possible through the MCA Foundation included Sanne Mestrom’s elegant sculpture Soft Kiss (2011), a series of ochre paintings by Warmun artist Shirley Purdie, and the striking Callum Morton installation Monument #28: Vortex (2011), all of which were on display during 2016. 2016 also saw the first acquisitions made through the ground-breaking MCA Qantas and Tate Joint Acquisition Program including Gordon Bennet’s mesmeric abstract stripe painting Number Nine (2008).

On 1 September 2016, the MCA unveiled a major new presentation of works from the MCA Collection. Today Tomorrow Yesterday considers the impact of the past and the influence of history on artistic practice today. Curated by MCA Senior Curator Natasha Bullock, this is the Museum’s first complete refresh of the permanent Level 2 Collection Galleries since their launch in 2012 with Volume One.

As well as reflecting on the passing of time, the title refers metaphorically to the Museum’s challenging role in shaping a collection of contemporary Australian art that is simultaneously of its moment and hinged to history. Above all, this presentation symbolises the guiding principles of the MCA Collection. It is focused on contemporary practices by Australian and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists, embraces all media and is motivated by a respect for the creative process and vision of today’s artists. Including work by more than forty artists from the 1960s to the present, recent acquisitions and a number of new commissions, Today Tomorrow Yesterday tells the story of the ever-evolving nature of contemporary art.

Dates Duration (Days) Total Visits

MCA Collection: Volume One 1 January – 31 July 2016 213 288,811

MCA Collection: Today, 1 September – 31 December 2016 121 158,773 Tomorrow, Yesterday

Fiona Hall, Manuhiri (Travellers), 2014-2015, installation view, MCA Justene Williams, Crutch Dance 2011, Installation view, MCA Collection: Collection: Today Tomorrow Yesterday, 2016, collection of driftwood from Today Tomorrow Yesterday, Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, Waiapu River, Aotearoa, New Zealand, Museum of Contemporary Art, 2016, multi-channel digital video, colour, sound, 12 CRT televisions, donated through the Australian Government’s Cultural Gifts Program by synthetic polymer paint on wooden pallets, Museum of Contemporary donor, Judith Neilson AM, 2016, image courtesy the artist, Museum of Art, purchased with funds provided by the Coe and Mordant families, Contemporary Art Australia and Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery, Sydney © the 2011, image courtesy and © the artist, photograph: Anna Kučera. artist, photograph: Anna Kučera. 13

MCA Annual Report 2016 Curatorial and Digital

2016 saw two major exhibitions commencing tours.

BEING TIWI Curators: Natasha Bullock and Keith Munro This MCA Collection-based exhibition highlighted the dynamic work of nine contemporary artists from the Tiwi Islands, located to the north of Darwin in the Northern Territory. The show revealed how the expressive and experimental work being produced on the Islands continues to realise the Tiwi traditions of life and culture in different forms. A range of artworks from print media to painting were showcased, including the first prints produced at Tiwi Design, a selection of works on paper newly acquired for the MCA Collection and works commissioned especially for the exhibition.

Public programs included a Teachers Professional Development Workshop in Mackay and Tactile Tours for children and families in Adelaide, both delivered by MCA artist educator Ella Condon. Visitors in Adelaide were welcomed in the traditional language of the Kaurna (pronounced Garna) people of the Adelaide Plains area and experienced performances of Tiwi traditional dances known as Yoi by artists from Tiwi Design.

The exhibition is complemented and co-programmed with Adelaide’s Spirit Festival (18 Nov – 3 Dec 2016), which includes a 2-week artist residency (including Being Tiwi artist Maria Josette Orsto), public programs and carving, painting, and weaving workshops and demonstrations sharing the culture and ideas in the Being Tiwi exhibition. MCA artist educator, Ella Condon led Tactile Tours workshops for children and families to deepen engagement with the exhibition.

Venue Dates Duration (Days) Total Visits

Artspace Mackay, QLD 18 March 2016 – 8 May 2016 52 3,111

Tandanya National Aboriginal 18 November 2016 – 22 January 2017 66 1,353 Cultural Institute, SA

‘I didn’t have many expectations but I loved what we did. So many ideas I can use in my work with students! ... loved the interactive look at the art … was an excellent and engaging experience … yes – it was very informative and open to creative interpretation but with a well-defined focus.’ Participant feedback Teachers’ Professional Development Workshop Artspace Mackay

‘Thank you for sharing these beautiful paintings and prints, keeping alive MCA Artist Educator Ella Condon leading the Teachers’ Professional Development Workshop at Artspace Mackay. Background: Timothy Cook, Kulama, (detail) 2015, the culture.’ installation view, Being Tiwi, Artspace Mackay, 2016, ochre on linen, Museum of Visitor feedback (Canada) Contemporary Art commission, purchased with funds provided by the MCA Tandanya National Aboriginal Cultural Institute Foundation, 2016, image courtesy and © the artist / Licensed by Viscopy 2015 14

MCA Annual Report 2016 Curatorial and Digital

ENERGIES: HAINES & HINTERDING Curator: Anna Davis David Haines and Joyce Hinterding live and work in the Blue Mountains. Hinterding is fascinated with energetic forces, while Haines is drawn to the intersection of hallucination and the environment. Both artists are captivated by the unseen energies that surround us and seek to reveal them to audiences through their work. Science, the occult and philosophy are important elements of their practice. Haines and Hinterding’s art incorporates sound, installation, video, performance, sculpture, photography and drawing. Many of their recent works also use computer game technologies. This was the first comprehensive survey of their work and included immersive virtual 3D environments for visitors to explore and navigate.

A major work in the exhibition, Geology (2015) is described by the artists as ‘a virtual world that examines how culture interacts with chaotic forces’ and was inspired by a research trip to the damaged Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetu after the earthquakes of 2011. Good Vibrations, a major public event that included performances by artists’ David Haines and Joyce Hinterding and a lineup of Australian and New Zealand artists, musicians, DJs, food trucks and pop up bars, was held to celebrate the opening of the exhibition.

Duration Total Visits Venue Dates (Days) in 2016 in 2016 Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o 25 November 2016 – 5 March 2017 101 15.610 Waiwhetu, NZ

‘unique energy technology art…well worth a visit…kids and big kids will love the interaction’ Visitor feedback, online post

Right A young visitor enjoys an immersive 3D experience using Oculus Rift, a virtual reality headset.

Below David Haines and Joyce Hinterding, Geology, 2015, installation view, Energies: Haines & Hinterding, Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna O Waiwhatu, Christchurch, New Zealand, 2016, real-time 3D environment, 2 x HD projections, game engine, motion sensor, spatial 3D audio, commissioned by the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, supported by Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna O Waiwhatu, Christchurch, New Zealand, image courtesy and © the artists

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MCA Annual Report 2016 Curatorial and Digital

JACKSON BELLA ROOM Artist Kathy Temin

For the fifth commission for the Bella Room, Melbourne-based artist Kathy Temin created a new interactive installation for people with specific needs. The artwork, The Koala Room (2016) developed in consultation with MCA Artist Educators and Bella Program participants, was an interactive cushioned space that invited visitors to explore their own cultural identity through performance and costumes.

Temin transformed the Bella room into a landscape of green fur grass and trees against blue skies. This overall environment contained numerous elements and invited visitors with different specific needs to engage with the work in their own way. One aspect of the work, a giant felt wall with stick-on trees, koalas and Sydney architectural icons encouraging visitors to create their own landscapes and felt assemblages.

Participatory performance was central to The Koala Choir, an integral part of the room. Temin auditioned people across a range of ages, needs and abilities to take part and participants were asked to sing a song with significance to their cultural background, while wearing elements of a koala costume, such as ears, paws or a mask. The product of these auditions was exhibited as part of the Bella Commission. This work is part of MCA’s free and innovative Bella Program, created to inspire and engage people with specific needs to explore contemporary art and develop new skills through art-making experiences.

CIRCULAR QUAY FOYER WALL Artist Stephen Bush

The MCA Foyer Wall Commission is an ongoing program of wall works commissioned for the MCA’s Circular Quay foyer. The Museum works with artists to realise new, temporary artworks that respond to this unique dimensions, location and history of this site.

Stephen Bush is an artist with a keen interest in both the history and the potential of the medium of paint. Installed in the Circular Quay foyer of the MCA’s Mordant Wing (built in 2012) and facing the Museum’s original building (completed in 1952), Bush’s Corde du Roi (2016) embodied the tension of this site. It highlighted the artist’s interest in points of contact between the present and the past and the frictions and contrasts that occur when different histories or processes meet. Corde du Roi creates a juxtaposition between figurative and abstract painting. This is a feature of Bush’s practice, which often includes delicately painted traditional figures and intense paint spills.

Kathy Temin, The Koala Room, 2016, commissioned by the Museum Stephen Bush, Corde du Roi, 2016, print on Photo Tex, commissioned by of Contemporary Art Australia for the Jackson Bella Room, 2016, image the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia 2016, supported by Veolia courtesy and © the artist, photograph: Daniel Boud Environmental Services, image courtesy and © the artist, photograph: Jessica Maurer

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MCA Annual Report 2016 Curatorial and Digital

INSIDE/OUT MCA COLLECTION RESOURCE ROOM Artist Julia Gorman

The renewal of the presentation of works from the MCA Collection on Level 2 provided an opportunity to transform the beautiful wood-lined heritage Maritime Services Boardroom, located in the Collection galleries. Melbourne artist Julia Gorman has reinvigorated the space with an installation titled The Forties. Gorman is best known for her site-specific vinyl installations employing abstracted geometric shapes and sinuous lines. This new work twists and follows over the walls and gallery floor in a bold colour palette. Inside the space, visitors can access a comprehensive array of MCA resources and behind-the-scenes material about the Collection.

Top: Artist Julia Gorman in Inside/Out, photograph: Anna Kučera Above right: Julia Gorman, The Forties 2016, window: acrylic sheeting, wood, MDF; Flutter nightshades (2010-16): polypropylene, acrylic sheet, light bulbs; painting: acrylic on linen, wooden board; floor: adhesive vinyl, Commissioned by the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia for the Inside/Out Room, 2016, photograph: Anna Kučera 17

MCA Annual Report 2016 Curatorial and Digital

SCULPTURE TERRACE Artist Caroline Rothwell

Composer is ‘...a double-edged work. It is reminiscent of a bittersweet fairy tale, with darkness and light intertwined. On the one hand, it is a whimsical form. On the other, it explores evolving relationships between humans and the natural environment and questions the consequences of human endeavour.’ Caroline Rothwell

The third MCA Sculpture Terrace Commission, Composer, by Sydney artist Caroline Rothwell was installed in late 2016. Poetic and whimsical, the large-scale sculpture reflects on the causes of global warming. Composer is a 6-metre high, kinetic sculpture that explores current issues around energy consumption and sustainable sources of energy. Rothwell’s artistic practice interrogates political ideas in poetic, subtle, even humorous ways, which can generate dialogue and open up new perspectives.

Composer acts as a wind turbine where the wind flowing over the MCA Sculpture Terrace is harnessed to create light. The sculpture is powered by a pinwheel – an up-scaled version of a child’s seaside toy, usually propelled by wind or their breath. Attached to the mast of the sculpture is a windswept female figure. This figure operates as a weather vane, moving around the mast with the ambient air flow.

The MCA Sculpture Commission is an ongoing program of artworks commissioned for the Museum’s Loti Smorgon Sculpture Terrace on Level 4. The Museum works with artists to realise new, temporary artworks that respond to this unique site overlooking Sydney Harbour.

Commissioned by the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia with funds donated by Ginny and Leslie Green and Sculpture Commission donors, 2016

Top: Caroline Rothwell pictured on the Loti Smorgon Sculpture Terrace, photograph: Ken Leanfore Above right: Caroline Rothwell , Composer, detail, 2016, installation view, Loti Smorgon Sculpture Terrace, Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, Sydney, 2016, aluminium, steel, LED light, commissioned by the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia with funds donated by Ginny and Leslie Green and Sculpture Commission donors, 2016, image courtesy the artist and Museum of Contemporary Art Australia © the artist, photograph: Ken Leanfore

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MCA Annual Report 2016 Curatorial and Digital

FOOD FIGHT: THE BATTLE FOR FOOD SECURITY This live art event took place on the evening of Saturday 30 April 2016 in Bigge Park in the Liverpool CBD and was presented in collaboration with Liverpool City Council. Artist duo Branch Nebula (Lee Wilson and Mirabelle Wouters) along with artist Diego Bonetto, devised the project in response to C3West and LCC’s brief to raise awareness about the issue of food security in south-west Sydney and across Australia. Food security, the ability for people to access affordable, nutritious and culturally appropriate food, is a widespread issue with more than two million people accessing food relief services in Australia each year.

In the lead-up to the event, wide-reaching community consultation was undertaken, and important relationships formed with food relief sector organisations such as Inspire Communities, Foodbank, OzHarvest, Youth Food Movement and Western Sydney University. Integral to the artists’ methodology was a public awareness campaign, engaging traditional and social media channels, targeting both local and metropolitan audiences.

More than 150 participants were drawn from the local community and the food security sector, including home cooks, prominent food security advocates, and young people. A banquet was provided, mixing invited influential guests with an equal number of food relief service clients. The event, witnessed by more than 2,000 people, culminated in a spectacular food fight performance featuring dozens of participants inside an enormous inflatable bubble.

Branch Nebula and Diego Bonetto, Food Fight: The Battle for Food Security, 2016, performance documentation, Liverpool, NSW, event infrastructure designed in collaboration with Future Method Studio, co-commissioned by C3West on behalf of Museum of Contemporary Art Australia and Liverpool City Council, image courtesy and © the artists, photograph: Anna Kučera

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MCA Annual Report 2016 Curatorial and Digital

WOMEN OF FAIRFIELD Over two nights, four art projects by leading contemporary artists in collaboration with over 100 local women and 12 local women’s community organisations were presented in public spaces in Fairfield City, exploring how women navigate and experience these environments.

Women of Fairfield was a collaboration between C3West, Powerhouse Youth Theatre, Fairfield (PYT), and the NSW Service for the Treatment and Rehabilitation of Torture and Trauma Survivors (STARTTS). It was supported by Fairfield City Council, Raine & Horne Cabramatta and Fairfield Chase. Women of Fairfield was co-curated by Karen Therese (Artistic Director, PYT) and Anne Loxley (Senior Curator, C3West), and facilitated by Jiva Parthipan (Director of Community Cultural Development, STARTTS). Artists Kate Blackmore, Hissy Fit & Maria Tran, Claudia Nicholson and Zoe Scoglio each worked with local women to explore the complexities of navigating public space and cultural identity in Fairfield. Fairfield’s streets came alive with Assyrian wedding dancers, while cars decorated by Khmer, Iraqi and Aboriginal women did laps blaring music. South and Central American performers sang and danced in a food court, disrupting a polychromatic sawdust carpet, and martial artists took over a carpark to an explosive soundtrack. As visitors experienced the program of artworks, they were encouraged to sample Fairfield’s extraordinary restaurants, bakeries and grocers.

In January 2017, Women of Fairfield won the FBi Radio SMAC Award for Best Arts Program.

Zoe Scoglio, In The Round, 2016, performance documentation, Fairfield, Kate Blackmore, All Wedding Wishes, 2016, performance NSW, co-commissioned as part of Women of Fairfield, 2016, by C3West on documentation, Fairfield, NSW, co-commissioned as part of Women of behalf of the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, Powerhouse Youth Fairfield, 2016, by C3West on behalf of the Museum of Contemporary Art Theatre, Fairfield, and the NSW Service for the Treatment and Australia, Powerhouse Youth Theatre, Fairfield, and the NSW Service for Rehabilitation of Torture and Trauma Survivors (STARTTS), image the Treatment and Rehabilitation of Torture and Trauma Survivors courtesy and © the artist, photograph: Anna Kučera (STARTTS), image courtesy and © the artist, photograph: Anna Kučera

Hissy Fit & Maria Tran, Supreme Ultimate, 2016, performance Claudia Nicholson, Pero no cambia mi amor, 2016, performance documentation, Fairfield, NSW, co-commissioned as part of Women of documentation, Fairfield, NSW, co-commissioned as part of Women of Fairfield, 2016, by C3West on behalf of the Museum of Contemporary Art Fairfield, 2016, by C3West on behalf of the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, Powerhouse Youth Theatre, Fairfield, and the NSW Service for Australia, Powerhouse Youth Theatre, Fairfield, and the NSW Service for the Treatment and Rehabilitation of Torture and Trauma Survivors the Treatment and Rehabilitation of Torture and Trauma Survivors (STARTTS), image courtesy and © the artists, photograph: Anna Kučera (STARTTS), image courtesy and © the artist, photograph: Anna Kučera 20

MCA Annual Report 2016 Curatorial and Digital

Curator: Rachel Kent Design: Claire Orrell Title: Telling Tales: Excursions in Narrative Form Description: 132 pages, soft cover, full colour, uncoated paper. Contributors include Rachel Kent, Adrain Vickers, Nina Miall, Frances Kofod and Safdar Ahmed. Print Run: 500 RRP: $39.95

Curators: Anna Davis and Houngcheol Choi Design: Alex Torcutti Title: New Romance: art and the posthuman Description: 204 pages, soft cover, full colour, uncoated paper. Essays by Anna Davis and Houngcheol Choi. Print Run: 500 RRP: $39.95

Curator: Natasha Bullock Design: Charlie Cummings Title: MCA Collection Handbook Description: 416 pages, soft cover, full colour, uncoated paper. Edited by Natasha Bullock, contributors include Franchesca Cubillo, Dr Gary Foley and Dr Sook-Kyung Lee. Print Run: 3,000 RRP: $29.95

Curator: Anna Davis Design: Alex Torcutti Title: Louise Hearman Description: 208 pages, soft cover, full colour, coated paper. Essays by Anna Davis and John McDonald. Print Run: 750 RRP: $44.95

Curator: Emily Cormack Design: Alex Torcutti Title: Primavera 2017: Young Australian Artists Description: 104 pages, soft cover, full colour, coated paper. Essays by Emily Cormack and Douglas Kahn. Print Run: 500 RRP: $29.95

Curator: Rachel Kent Design: Claire Orrell Title: Tatsuo Miyajima: Everything is Connected Description: 160 pages, hard cover with paper dust jacket, full colour. Contributors include Rachel Kent, Mami Kataoka, Sunjung Kim and Nobiko Nakano. Print Run: 2,000 RRP: $59.95

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MCA Annual Report 2016 Curatorial and Digital

AWARD-WINNING CATALOGUES

Louise Hearman Silver award Books, Case Bound, any number of colours, offset National Print Awards The National Print Awards were established in 1984, to recognise excellence in print and design in Australia.

Above: Cover and spread from Louise Hearman designed by MCA Graphic Designer Alex Torcutti

Tatsuo Miyajima Connect with Everything Winner Exhibition Catalogue Major (Level B) The Museums and Publications Design Awards (MAPDA) The MAPDAs celebrate excellence in design and communication in the museum and gallery sector across Australia and New Zealand.

Above: Spreads from Tatsuo Miyama: Connect With Everything designed by MCA Graphic Design Manager Claire Orrell

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MCA Annual Report 2016 Curatorial and Digital

INCREASED DIGITAL ACCESS FOR MCA COLLECTION ONLINE MCA commitment to the MCA Collection Online was significantly strengthened during 2016 with the opening of the Inside/Out room in the Level 2 galleries. A special touchscreen version of the MCA website was designed for in-gallery use, and multiple touchscreens were installed. This gave a whole new audience access to the 200 artist records that were added to the Collection Online in 2016. The interfaces proved both popular and powerful, and it was adapted for use with the Primavera at 25: MCA Collection exhibition in the new Level 2 resource area opposite the MCA Lewis Library and Artist Research Centre.

INCREASED ENGAGEMENT THROUGH EXHIBITION AND APP CONTENT The exhibitions Telling Tales, New Romance, and Primavera 2016 were supported by some engaging interviews of artists, viewable online, at the MCA and on the MCA App. A dedicated website was made for Tatsuo Miyajima: Connect With Everything, which showcased the visitor experience available during the exhibition as well as rich information about the artist and a series of video interviews. The success of this site has been proven by engagement rates considerably higher than the MCA website as a whole. The touring exhibition Being Tiwi was supported by a dedicated digital interpretation installation. The MCA app was enhanced and made more accessible to audiences through work on the interface and an iPad version that is displayed in-gallery.

NEW LEARNING TECHNOLOGY, PROGRAMS AND RESOURCES In early 2016 a refit to the technology used in the National Centre for Creative Learning (NCCL) was carried out. This included the introduction of iPads, green screens and audio tools to the workshop spaces allowing for new programs focused upon performance, sound and video to be offered to schools. Hello Big Institution, an online course for high school students developed with artist Lara Thoms was launched in mid-2016. The program was designed to engage individual students and whole classes based anywhere in Australia with a range of experimental and challenging contemporary practices. The program was evaluated through a combination of classroom observations and online feedback, due to the positive response Hello Big Institution will be expanded in 2017.

The online learning resource portal has been expanded with the addition of resource sets for New Romance, Being Tiwi, MCA Collection: Rebecca Baumann, and MCA collection artist Agatha Gothe-Snape. To assist the promotion of MCA Learning programs, a new ‘Discover 2017’ micro site was established to assist promotion of learning programs and to clearly articulate the values and principles of MCA Learning to wider audiences.

Left: Still from MCA App featuring Tatsuo Miyajima, Pile Up Life No. 2, 2009, waterproof LED, IC, fibre-reinforced plastics, electric wire, transformer, image courtesy the Lara Thoms, Hello Big Institution, 2016, still from artist video for online artist and Lisson course commissioned by Museum of Contemporary Art 2016, image Gallery © the courtesy and © the artist. Photograph; Dominic Kirkwood artist, photograph:

Ken Adlard

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MCA Annual Report 2016 Curatorial and Digital

Huseyin Sami Untitled (Long Stack), 2014, acrylic Museum of Contemporary Art, gift of the artist and Sarah Cottier paint Gallery, 2015 Gosia Wlodarczak A Room Without a View, 2013, pigment Museum of Contemporary Art, donated through the Australian marker and acrylic on MDF, HD video Government's Cultural Gifts Program by the artist, 2016 James Angus Bicycles, 2008, metal, rubber, paint Museum of Contemporary Art, donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program by Judy Soper and James Sullivan, 2016 Mikala Dwyer Spell for a corner, 2015, synthetic Museum of Contemporary Art, donated through the Australian polymer paint on wall Government's Cultural Gifts Program by the artist Mike Parr Life after Death (Battery Man), 1988, Museum of Contemporary Art, donated through the Australian charcoal, girault pastel and synthetic Government's Cultural Gifts Program by Roslyn and Tony Oxley, 2016 polymer paint on Tamaroll paper Ash Keating Activate 2750, 2009, single-channel HD Museum of Contemporary Art, gift of the artist, 2015 video, colour, sound, 21 min 38 sec Fiona Hall Manuhiri (Travellers), 2014-2015, Museum of Contemporary Art, donated through the Australian driftwood Government's Cultural Gifts Program by Judith Neilson, 2016 Lyndal Jones, Crying Man 4, 2005, three-channel Museum of Contemporary Art, donated through the Australian Kate Richards video installation, sync sound Government's Cultural Gifts Program by Lyndal Jones, 2016 David Haines, Encounter with the Halo Field, 2009, Museum of Contemporary Art, donated through the Australian Joyce Hinterding 2015, single-channel video, sound, Government's Cultural Gifts Program by the artists, 2016 3mins 38s Gordon Bennett Self Portrait (Ancestor Figures), 1992, Museum of Contemporary Art, donated through the Australian wood, mirror, flurorescent lights, lead Government's Cultural Gifts Program by encased river stones, water colour on Leanne Bennett, 2016 paper, photographs, vinyl Jess Olivieri, Changing of the Guard: Formation, Museum of Contemporary Art, gift of the artists, 2016 Hayley Forward 2011, single-channel video, silent Justene Williams BIGHEAD GARBAGEFACE GUARDS Museum of Contemporary Art, donated through the Australian GHOST DERR SONATA, 2009, six- Government's Cultural Gifts Program by Benjamin Hudson, 2016 channel digital video installation Daniel Boyd Untitled, 2015, mirrored disks, synthetic Museum of Contemporary Art, donated through the Australian polymer paint on wall Government's Cultural Gifts Program by the artist, 2016 Marian Tubbs Kings x Darlinghurts, 2014, digital print Museum of Contemporary Art, donated through the Australian on silk Government's Cultural Gifts Program by the artist, 2016 Marian Tubbs Untitled, 2014, steel, digital print on Museum of Contemporary Art, donated through the Australian SAV clear acrylic, jelly wax Government's Cultural Gifts Program by the artist, 2016 Joyce Hinterding Large Square Logarithmic VLF Loop Museum of Contemporary Art, donated through the Australian Antenna, 2015, graphite, custom leads, Government's Cultural Gifts Program by the artist, 2016 mixer, headphones, ultrasonic speaker Gareth Sansom Amyl, 2015-2016, oil, enamel and latex Museum of Contemporary Art, donated through the Australian on linen Government's Cultural Gifts Program by Dr Christine Healy OAM, 2016 Jenny Watson Dolly Mop, 2007, acrylic on rabbit skin Museum of Contemporary Art, donated through the Australian glued primed organza on cotton, acrylic Government's Cultural Gifts Program by on canvas Michael Hawker, 2016 Chris Hanrahan As is the Gardener, Such is the Garden Museum of Contemporary Art, donated through the Australian (table lamp), 2006, plywood and lamps Government's Cultural Gifts Program by Michael Hawker, 2016 Lindy Lee Ten Worlds, Ten Directions, 2002, Museum of Contemporary Art, donated through the Australian inkjet print, oil, acrylic and wax on Government's Cultural Gifts Program by Michael and Jill Hawker, board 2016 Robert MacPherson Tree Rain: 16 frog poems (Yellow Museum of Contemporary Art, donated through the Australian Monday) for JC, 1990, metal on wood, Government's Cultural Gifts Program by Jill and Michael Hawker, 2016 cart Robert MacPherson MAYFAIR: 2 SIGNS, 2 PAINTINGS, Museum of Contemporary Art, donated through the Australian (HONK!! IF YOU'VE SEEN JESUS) Government's Cultural Gifts Program by Michael and Jill Hawker, 2016 (HONK!! IF YOU'VE SEEN ELVIS), 1992- 1999, mixed media on paper

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MCA Annual Report 2016 Curatorial and Digital

David Haines H-alpha, 2009-2014, pigment ink on rag Museum of Contemporary Art, purchased with funds provided paper, framed by the MCA Foundation, 2015 David Haines, Geology, 2015, real-time 3D environment, 2 Commissioned by the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, Joyce Hinterding HD projections, game engine, motion supported by Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna O Waiwhatu, sensor, spatial 3D audio Christchurch, New Zealand. Museum of Contemporary Art, purchased with funds provided by the MCA Foundation, 2015 Abdul Abdullah Caliban, 2015, oil on board Museum of Contemporary Art, purchased with funds provided Abdul Abdullah Sycorax, 2015, oil on board by the MCA Foundation, 2016 Cornelia Jilamara Design, 2015, ochre and synthetic Museum of Contemporary Art, purchased with funds provided Tipuamantumirri polymer paint on linen by Vicki Olsson, 2016 Nina Puruntatameri Kulama Design, 2013, ochre on linen Maria Josette Orsto Miyinga (Scars), 2015, natural ochre on canvas Museum of Contemporary Art commission, purchased Timothy Cook Kulama, 2015, ochre on linen with funds provided by the MCA Foundation, 2016 Raelene Kerinauia Jilamara, 2015, natural ochres on paper Callum Morton Monument #28: Vortex, 2011, polystyrene, epoxy Museum of Contemporary Art, purchased with funds resin, sand, wood, synthetic polymer paint, enamel provided by the MCA Foundation, 2016 paint, glass, steel, vinyl Huseyin Sami Untitled (Dot Painting #9), 2015, acrylic on canvas Heather Douglas Irititja Tjuta 1-6, 2015, ochre, beeswax and sand on Museum of Contemporary Art, purchased with funds water tank panels provided by Chips Mackinolty, 2016 Heather Douglas Irititja Tjuta 2 (Irititja munu kuwaritja), 2015 steel, ochre, beeswax, sand Heather Douglas Irititja Tjuta 3 (Pintji Irititja Tjipiku), 2015 steel, ochre, beeswax, sand Heather Douglas Irititja Tjuta 4 (Pintji Irititja), 2015 steel, ochre, beeswax, sand Heather Douglas Irititja Tjuta 5 (Tjatji Irititja, Munu tjitji tjuta Ingkanyi & minyma tjuta Kapitjara), 2015 steel, ochre, beeswax, sand Heather Douglas Irititja Tjuta 6 (Nanikuta munu Tjiipi tjuta pitjanyi kapi tjinkidaku), 2015 steel, ochre, beeswax, sand Gordon Bennett Possession Island (Abstraction), 1991, oil and synthetic Museum of Contemporary Art Australia and polymer paint on canvas Tate, purchased jointly with funds provided by Gordon Bennett Number Nine, 2008, synthetic polymer paint on linen the Qantas Foundation, 2016 Judy Watson a preponderance of aboriginal blood, 2005, artist book consisting of sixteen etchings with chine collé Vernon Ah Kee tall man, 2010, multi-channel digital video, colour, sound Susan Norrie Transit, 2011, single-channel digital video, colour, sound Sanné Mestrom Soft Kiss, 2011, urethane rubber, plastic, timber, metal Museum of Agatha Gothe-Snape Emotional Wall with Everything Else, 2012-2013, synthetic polymer paint on wall Contemporary Art, Barayuwa Manbuynga, 2015, photographic print on wall and MDF purchased with funds Mununggurr provided by the MCA Nicholas Mangan Some Kinds of Duration, 2011, 2x single channel videos, sound, concrete, flurescent Foundation, 2016 lights, charcoal, paper, carbon toner, glass, fluorescent light A.D.S Donaldson Untitled (for Mary Webb), 2005, wool Bob Burruwal Buya Male, 2016, kurrajong (Brachychiton diversifolius), ochre pigment, PVA fixative, bush wax and feathers Lena Yarinkura Ngalyod (Rainbow Serpent), 2016, pandanus, natural dyes and feathers Mabel Juli Garnkiny Ngarranggarni, 2016, ochre and pigment on canvas Linda Marrinon The Moir Sisters, 1974, 2016, tinted plaster, distemper, watercolour, hessian Shirley Purdie Goowoolem Gijam - Gija plants, 2013-2016, ochre on canvas

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MCA Annual Report 2016 Curatorial and Digital

Artist Artwork Details Credit Heide Museum of Modern Art Aleks Danko DAY IN DAY OUT (epitaph version), 1992; Museum of Contemporary Art, purchased with the graphite and shellac on galvanised steel, cast assistance of stART, MCA Young Patrons, 1993 aluminium, synthetic polymer paint, blue pencil and ink on paper, tracing paper, wood and glass What are you doing boy?, 1990-1992; wood, Museum of Contemporary Art, purchased 1993 paper, glass, synthetic polymer, steel, shellac and engraved traffolyte Incident - Ambivalence, 1992-1992; wood, Museum of Contemporary Art, purchased with the galvanised steel and synthetic polymer paint assistance of stART, MCA Young Patrons, 1993 and varnish Heavy Aesthetic Quality: Mantelpiece Edition, Museum of Contemporary Art, gift of Etienne Roy, 1971; brass 1994 Chatter, 2008-2009; engraved Gravoply Museum of Contemporary Art, purchased with funds provided by the Coe and Mordant families, 2009 POETIC SUICIDE, 2009; engraved Gravoply Museum of Contemporary Art, purchased with funds provided by the Coe and Mordant families, 2009 IT’S SUCH A THIN LINE BETWEEN CLEVER Museum of Contemporary Art, purchased with funds AND STUPID, 2008-2009; sand blasted mirror, provided by the Coe and Mordant families, 2009 plastic mirror clips A JOYCEAN LAUGH, 2008-2009; engraved Museum of Contemporary Art, purchased with funds Gravoply provided by the Coe and Mordant families, 2009

SONGS OF AUSTRALIA VOLUME 18—A NEW Museum of Contemporary Art, purchased with funds VALLEY OF TEARS, 2008; laser printed spiral provided by the Coe and Mordant families, 2009 bound book Untitled (BIRTH SCHOOL WORK DEATH), Museum of Contemporary Art, gift of the artist, 2015 2015; ink on paper Mornington Peninsula Regional Art Gallery Daniel Boyd We Call them Pirates Out Here, 2006, oil on Museum of Contemporary Art, purchased with funds canvas provided by the Coe and Mordant families, 2006 Heide Museum of Modern Art (also touring to: Benalla Art Gallery; Cairns Regional Gallery; Anne & Gordon Samstag Museum of Art; Caloundra Regional Art Gallery; National Art School Gallery; Western Plains Cultural Centre) Michelle Nikou A, 2004, Bronze Museum of Contemporary Art, Library Collection, gift of Peter Fay, 2011 Casula Powerhouse Ah Xian China, China - Bust 81, 2004, glazed porcelain Museum of Contemporary Art, gift of the artist, 2008 National Gallery of Australia Mike Parr Box containing Possibilities (3) 1971, Poem Museum of Contemporary Art, gift of the artist, 1993 event 1971, and Manuscript 1993, 1971, cardboard archive box with enamel paint containing paper documents Alphabet, 1988-1989, 103 framed photocopies Museum of Contemporary Art, purchased 1990 Various Ideas, 1972, ink and cellulose tape on Museum of Contemporary Art, gift of the artist, 1991 paper and cardboard; cardboard, paper, enamel paint and book binding cloth Artist (Branding Iron), 1973, iron, wood in Museum of Contemporary Art, gift of the artist, 1992 custom perspex case Black Box of Word situations, variation 3, 1991, Museum of Contemporary Art, gift of the artist, 1991 colour photocopies, loose-leaf sheets inside cardboard and paper box Yellow Viennese Notebook, 1978, ink on paper Museum of Contemporary Art, gift of the artist, 1991 Blue Viennese Notebook, 1978, ink on paper Museum of Contemporary Art, gift of the artist, 1991 Murray Art Museum Albury Tim Silver Untitled (What If I Drive?), 2009, cast wax Museum of Contemporary Art, donated through the crayons Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program by the artist, 2010

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MCA Annual Report 2016 Curatorial and Digital

Artist Artwork Details Credit Hamilton Gallery Ah Xian China, China - Bust 81, 2004, glazed porcelain McClelland Gallery & Sculpture Park Esme Timbery Shellworked slippers, 2008, shell, glitter, fabric, cardboard and glue National Art School Gallery Vernon Ah Kee fantasies of the good series, 2004, charcoal on paper National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea Rebecca Baumann Automated Colour Field, 2011; flip-clocks, paper Hayden Fowler New World Order, 2013; single-channel digital video, HD, colour, sound University of Sydney Ada Balayarra Mewana (sedge grass collecting bag), c. 1984; J W Power Collection, University of Sydney, sedge grass and hand spun bark fibre string managed by Museum of Contemporary Art, purchased 1984 Judy Baypungala Mewana (sedge grass collecting bag), c. 1984, J W Power Collection, University of Sydney, sedge grass and hand spun bark fibre string managed by Museum of Contemporary Art, purchased 1984 Martha Boto Labyrinthe diagonal (Diagonal labyrinth), 1965; J W Power Collection, University of Sydney, aluminium sheets, electric motor, light unit, managed by Museum of Contemporary Art, synthetic polymer sheet, synthetic polymer purchased 1968 paint and wood Janet Burchill Aporia, (1987); vinyl and enamel paint on 9 J W Power Collection, University of Sydney, aluminium sheets managed by Museum of Contemporary Art, purchased 1967 Julie Djelirr Mindirr (Pandanus palm collecting bag), c. J W Power Collection, University of Sydney, 1984, dyed pandanus palm and hand spun bark managed by Museum of Contemporary Art, fibre string purchased 1984 Marisol Escobar Self-Portrait, 1973, etching J W Power Collection, University of Sydney, managed by Museum of Contemporary Art, purchased 1987 Helen Spoleto, 1972, screenprint J W Power Collection, University of Sydney, Frankenthaler managed by Museum of Contemporary Art, purchased 1967 Elizabeth Mewini (sedge grass collecting bag), c. 1984, J W Power Collection, University of Sydney, Gamalanga sedge grass and hand spun bark fibre string managed by Museum of Contemporary Art, purchased 1984 Margaret Mindirr (Pandanus palm collecting bag), c. J W Power Collection, University of Sydney, Gindjimirri 1984, ochres on pandanus palm, hand spun managed by Museum of Contemporary Art, bark fibre string purchased 1984 Margaret Mindirr (Pandanus palm collecting bag), c. J W Power Collection, University of Sydney, Gindjimirri 1984, ochres on pandanus palm, hand spun managed by Museum of Contemporary Art, bark fibre string purchased 1984 Barbara Kruger Untitled, 1985, photo-lithograph and silkscreen J W Power Collection, University of Sydney, on paper managed by Museum of Contemporary Art, purchased 1974 Lindy Lee Untitled III (after Antonello da Messina), 1987, J W Power Collection, University of Sydney, synthetic polymer paint and photocopies on managed by Museum of Contemporary Art, gift of paper on 16 cotton mountboards Andre Emmerich Gallery, 1972 Mary Ellen Mark Untitled (woman lying on bench), 1976-78, silver J W Power Collection, University of Sydney, gelatin photograph managed by Museum of Contemporary Art, purchased 1978 Mary Ellen Mark Untitled (woman on bed/ hand behind neck), J W Power Collection, University of Sydney, 1976-78, silver managed by Museum of Contemporary Art, gelatin photograph purchased 1978 Mary Ellen Mark Untitled (woman in tub), 1976-78, silver gelatin J W Power Collection, University of Sydney, photograph managed by Museum of Contemporary Art, purchased 1978

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MCA Annual Report 2016 Curatorial and Digital

Artist Artwork Details Credit University of Sydney cont. Mary Ellen Mark Untitled (woman seated on headboard, hand on J W Power Collection, University of Sydney, mouth), 1976-78, silver gelatin photograph managed by Museum of Contemporary Art, purchased 1978 Mary Ellen Mark Untitled (woman in bed wrapped in sheet), J W Power Collection, University of Sydney, 1976-78, silver managed by Museum of Contemporary Art, gelatin photograph purchased 1978 Mary Ellen Mark Untitled (woman on bed in smock, holding J W Power Collection, University of Sydney, arms), 1976-78, silver gelatin photograph managed by Museum of Contemporary Art, purchased 1978 Mary Ellen Mark Untitled (woman crouched in shower), 1976-78, J W Power Collection, University of Sydney, silver gelatin photograph managed by Museum of Contemporary Art, purchased 1978 Bridget Riley Static 3, 1966, synthetic polymer paint on linen J W Power Collection, University of Sydney, managed by Museum of Contemporary Art, purchased 1986 Rosie Rodji Mewini (sedge grass collecting bag), c. 1984, J W Power Collection, University of Sydney, sedge grass and hand spun bark fibre string managed by Museum of Contemporary Art, purchased 1984 Rosie Rodji Mewini (sedge grass collecting bag), c. 1984, J W Power Collection, University of Sydney, sedge grass and hand spun bark fibre string managed by Museum of Contemporary Art, purchased 1984 Rosie Rodji Mindirr (Pandanus palm collecting bag), c. J W Power Collection, University of Sydney, 1984; ochres on pandanus palm, hand spun managed by Museum of Contemporary Art, bark fibre string purchased 1984 Cindy Sherman Untitled Film Still 130, 1983, c-type photograph J W Power Collection, University of Sydney, managed by Museum of Contemporary Art, purchased 1984 Cindy Sherman Untitled Film Still 131, 1983, c-type photograph J W Power Collection, University of Sydney, managed by Museum of Contemporary Art, purchased 1984 Ulay / Saturday, 1987, colour polaroid J W Power Collection, University of Sydney, Marina Abramovic managed by Museum of Contemporary Art, purchased 1974 Jenny Watson Dream Palette, 1981, oil, synthetic polymer J W Power Collection, University of Sydney, paint, crayon, pastel, pencil, charcoal on 36 managed by Museum of Contemporary Art, canvas boards purchased 1986 Robin White The canoe is in the bareaka [A beginner's J W Power Collection, University of Sydney, guide to Gilbertese], 1983, woodcut managed by Museum of Contemporary Art, purchased 1986 Robin White I am doing the washing in the bathroom [A J W Power Collection, University of Sydney, beginner's guide to Gilbertese], 1983, woodcut managed by Museum of Contemporary Art, purchased 1986 Robin White Michael is sleeping on the bed [A beginner's J W Power Collection, University of Sydney, guide to Gilbertese], 1983, woodcut managed by Museum of Contemporary Art, purchased 1986 Robin White The maneaba [A beginner's guide to J W Power Collection, University of Sydney, Gilbertese], 1983, woodcut managed by Museum of Contemporary Art, purchased 1986 Robin White The name of this girl is Florence [A beginner's J W Power Collection, University of Sydney, guide to Gilbertese], 1983, woodcut managed by Museum of Contemporary Art, purchased 1986 Hannah Wilke Drawing (Flower Collage), 1973, pencil, pastel, J W Power Collection, University of Sydney, collage on paper managed by Museum of Contemporary Art, purchased 1984

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MCA Annual Report 2016 Development & Enterprises

The MCA’s Audience Engagement division encompassing Public Engagement, Student and Teacher Engagement, Visitor Experience and Marketing and Communications, provides enriching experiences of contemporary art for broad and diverse audiences. In 2016, MCA’s Audience Engagement teams celebrated, delivered or contributed to the success of:

 a record 1,206,243 visitors to the MCA, a 17% increase on 2015;  3,459 dynamic engagement programs, a significant increase of 18.5% on 2015;  139,028 participants across all Audience Engagement activities, including o 26,819 students and teachers taking part in learning programs o 57.787 visitors attending public programs, up 17% from 2015 o 6,984 young people enjoying 88 events;  surpassing 100,000 Facebook fans, ending 2016 with 108,229 fans;  increasing Instagram followers by 60% to 66,000;  57 school subsidy program sessions attended by 1,051 students and their families from 18 local schools in low socio-economic areas;

Photograph: Daniel Boud MCA Annual Report 2016 Audience Engagement

Public Engagement covers a dynamic range of learning experiences including conferences, mini-festivals, workshops, talks and screenings for audiences of all ages. These exist to provide a range of ways for different audiences to explore and learn through contemporary art. In 2016 a total of 98,780 participants engaged with this diverse offering. Highlights included:

 three weekend festivals for the exhibitions Telling Tales, New Romance and Being Tiwi featuring talks, workshops, performances and screenings;  the MCA Zine Fair with over 6,200 visitors and over 90 zinesters from across Australia;  a two-day conference in September, The Forever Now: contemporary art collections in the 21st century coinciding with the opening of MCA Collection: Today, Tomorrow, Yesterday, which brought together artists, curators, academics and critics and featured a keynote by Frances Morris, Director of Tate Modern;  the regularly sold-out over-18s ARTBAR with 15 guest artist-curators, over 165 artists and performers and more than 8,300 attendees;  the formation of the first MCA Kid’s Committee with eight families from all over Sydney who assisted with the development of the first suite of MCA family labels and the organisation of kids-led guided tours during the MCA’s 25th birthday celebrations;  26 events featuring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander guest speakers from across Australia during the presentation of Richard Bell’s EMBASSY on the MCA forecourt, part of the 20th Biennale of Sydney;  a presentation at Speak for Yourself, hosted by the advocate for Children and Young People and the NSW Youth Advisory Council for children and young people involved in decision making by the MCA Youth Committee (ages 12-18) and Young Creatives Coordinator;  the launch of the MCA’s new program ‘ARTFUL: Art and Dementia’ (developed in partnership with the Brain and Mind Centre, University of Sydney and Alzheimer’s Australia) with 435 participants living with dementia engaging with gallery explorations and hands-on creative artmaking sessions;  the creation of a multi-sensory blanket by Sydney-based artist Liam Benson for the Art Baby program;  a threefold increase in attendance at NAIDOC Week programs with 12 events attended by 695 visitors; and  the delivery of 26 free guided tours of the MCA Collection by MCA Young Guides (ages 15-21) to audiences of all ages – offering insightful tours infused with candour and their own personal perspectives.

No. of Program Type No. of participants Programs Adult Public Programs 372 57,787

ARTBAR 11 8,345

Kids and Families 270 25,249

Young Creatives 88 6,964

Artful: Art and Dementia 26 435

Total 767 98,780

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MCA Annual Report 2016 Audience Engagement

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MCA Annual Report 2016 Audience Engagement

Through the National Centre of Creative Learning (NCCL), MCA Learning provides tailored creative learning programs for Early Learning, Primary and Secondary students and teachers; and produces online resources to support engagement with the MCA Collection and Exhibitions online, at home and in the classroom. MCA Artist Educators facilitate gallery explorations, hands-on workshops and online learning experiences which encourage students and teachers to look and think about contemporary art in new ways. Highlights in 2016 included:

 the launch of Hello Big Institution: a new online self-guided course for young people in years 8 to 11, developed with artist Lara Thoms, with 266 young people signing up for the course in 2016;  the Djurali Youth Art Careers workshop for Year 9–12 Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander visual arts students delivered by artist Esme Timbery and MCA Curator, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Programs, Keith Munro;  a presentation at The National Visual Art Education Conference by Alex White, Digital Learning Producer, on MCA Digital Learning engagement including digital excursions and learning resources;  24 students from The Smith Family ‘Learning for Life’ program attended 2 Bella Momentum workshops with exhibiting MCA Artists and Artist Educators, supported by the Estate Late James Simpson Love, managed by Perpetual;  15 Ngamili, Gimabili Primary School workshops and seven Winangali Secondary School programs focusing on ATSI art and culture within the MCA Collection: Today, Tomorrow, Yesterday;  five sets of learning resources were published in 2016 in response to Being Tiwi, MCA Collection and New Romance, with more than 40 activities – bringing the total number of resources to 62;  four Educator Exclusives provided teachers with exclusive access to MCA curators, artist talks and MCA Learning information and resources.  two Bungawarra professional development days for Primary and Secondary teachers delivered by MCA Staff and MCA Collection artists Esme Timbery and Lorraine Connelly-Northey.

Program Type No of Groups/ Programs No of participants

Early Learning 36 446

Primary 349 5,706

Secondary 772 12,397

Tertiary 187 3051

Digital Excursion 18 606

ESL; Community & Social Groups 139 1996

Bella and Bella Plus 134 2617

Total 1,635 26,819

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MCA Annual Report 2016 Audience Engagement

MCA Artist Educators engage students in the galleries. Featured: Brook Andrew, Loop. A Model of how the world operates (2008), installation view, MCA Collection, wall painting, animated neon, electrical components, Museum of Contemporary Art, purchased with funds 33 provided by the Coe and Mordant families, 2008, photograph: Anna Kučera

MCA Annual Report 2016 Audience Engagement

The MCA believes that art is for everyone and actively works to connect people with disability and access requirements of all ages with contemporary art; including students, teachers, children, young people, families, adults and their support networks. The MCA provides opportunities for everyone to see, experience, understand and create art through creative learning and access programs.

In 2016, highlights included:

 the two-day forum, Engaging Students with Disability: a forum for teachers and support providers, held in partnership with the Sydney Opera House, where participants exchanged information, ideas and inspiration with industry experts and practitioners from the arts and disability network;  welcoming 124 participants for a Bella Plus Connect with an afternoon tea in December, on the International Day for People with Disability;  celebrating Mental Health Month in October with workshops, performances and a panel discussion by artists with lived experience of mental health, in collaboration with partners from North Sydney Local Health District and Little Orange supported studio;  the delivery of 72 programs and events with 1,226 participants in the Bella (5–18 years) Program;  the delivery of 62 programs and events with 1,391 participants in the Bella Plus (18+ years) Program and additional pilot programs Bella Plus Art Partners and Bella Art Guides which gave adults with access requirements opportunity to work one-on-one with Artist Educators to extend their skills in art-making and experience guiding gallery explorations;  the introduction of Bella Extension offering an additional Bella Artist Educator to provide tailored support to people with disability or access requirements who wish to attend any event at the MCA with their friends, family or school group – free of charge; and  the addition of two Artist Educators, Access Programs, who identify as Deaf, to lead program development and delivery across MCA Learning and Public Programs.

Above: Students arrive at the MCA for the MCA Bella Program, photograph: Daniel Boud

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MCA Annual Report 2016 Audience Engagement

The Visitor Experience team interpret, guide, communicate and engage with visitors to deliver the highest quality experience and help connect people to art. The team comprises dedicated, knowledgeable and passionate Gallery Hosts, Volunteer Guides and Ticketing Hosts who continued to ensure that all visitors to the MCA were welcomed warmly and treated respectfully. The MCA’s Librarian and team of library volunteers offered visitors deeper insights into our collection through specialist library services and activities including archival exhibitions and research assistance. In 2016 highlights included:

 11,556 visitors attended a volunteer-guided tour, an increase of 7.2% on 2015.  4,391 visitors attended 148 volunteer-led guided tour of the Grayson Perry: My Pretty Little Art Career exhibition, the most popular guided tour in 2016;  50 volunteers from various cultural organisations attended five Contemporary Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Tours (ATSI Tours) offered during National Volunteer Week exclusively for volunteers;  the introduction of regular ATSI-focused tours every other Sunday, attended by 281 visitors, due to their popularity during volunteer week;  the United Nations’ International Mother Language Day in February where visitors were welcomed to the Museum in over 20 languages including Tiwi, Kamilaroi, Italian, Polish, Hindi and Thai, celebrating the diversity of both staff and visitors; and  recognition for MCA Volunteer Guide Judy Friend for her ongoing leadership, dedication and contributions over the past 25 years as an MCA Volunteer Guide with the presentation of Lifetime Membership from MCA Director Elizabeth Ann Macgregor OBE and the NSW Premier’s Volunteer Recognition Program Certificate presented by Minister with responsibility for volunteering, the Hon. John Ajaka, MLC.

Program Type No of Programs No of Participants Guided Tours 799 11,275 ATSI Tours 34 281 Spotlight Talks 224 1,873 Total 1,057 13,429

MCA Host Floura Khosh Kish in front of Grayson Perry, Map of Truths MCA Director Elizabeth Ann Macgregor OBE congratulates MCA Volunteer and Beliefs (detail), 2011, acrylic, wool and cotton tapestry, edition of 7 Guide and Ambassador Judy Friend who has been guiding at the MCA plus 2 AP, published by Paragon Press, Collection of the Art Gallery of since it opened to the public in 1991, photograph: Jacquie Manning NSW, purchased 2014, installation view, Grayson Perry: My Pretty Little Art Career, Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, 2015, image courtesy Paragon Press and Victoria Miro, London © Grayson Perry, photograph: Anna Kučera 35

MCA Annual Report 2016 Audience Engagement

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MCA Annual Report 2016 Audience Engagement

The MCA’s Communications and Marketing team create and place targeted messaging highlighting the MCA’s activities across a range of communication channels comprising earned, owned, and paid media, including managing all of the MCA’s social media platforms. In 2016, the team actively contributed to supporting overall attendance and revenue-generating activities, deepening audience engagement and further positioning the MCA as an industry thought-leader locally and internationally.

Integrated campaigns comprising digital and print media and collateral, PR, and social media to promote the Museum’s activities in 2016 included:

 campaigns for exhibitions such as Grayson Perry: my pretty little art career and MCA Collection: Today, Tomorrow, Yesterday;  announcements of new partnerships, particularly the Joint Acquisition Program between MCA, Qantas and Tate, and the launch of The National exhibition series with Carriageworks and the Art Gallery of NSW;  introduction of the MCA’s new building commissions in 2016 – the Bella Room commission by Kathy Temin, the new Sculpture Terrace commission by Caroline Rothwell, and the foyer wall commission by Stephen Bush;  communication of offsite programs such as C3 West’s Food Fight and Women of Fairfield projects;  regular updates highlighting programs and events such as Art Baby, Art & Dementia, Zine Fair, the MCA Collection conference, and the lecture with Tate Modern’s Director, Frances Morris;  the celebration of accolades including MCA Director Elizabeth Ann Macgregor winning a NSW Creative Achievement Award and being elected President of the Board of CIMAM, and the major milestone of the MCA’s 25th birthday.

The Grayson Perry: my pretty little art career campaign – part of the Sydney International Art Series – generated significant media coverage with over 700 media clips (print: 172; broadcast: 20; online 551), reaching over 63.5M people (print: 18.4M, broadcast: 1.07M; online: 44M) for a combined ad value of $9.1M (print: $2.5M, broadcast: $856K; online: $5.7M). The social media campaign generated a total of 1,695 posts, reaching over 19.2M people.

The promotion of MCA’s dining venues throughout 2016 was also particularly effective, generating significant media coverage and social media engagement around the summer pop-up bars and themed menus at the MCA Cafe (Grayson Perry-inspired Gin Garden and English menu, Korean menu during New Romance exhibition, Tatsuo Miyajima-inspired Cherry Blossom Bar and Japanese menu).

The MCA’s social media footprint continued to grow surpassing the 100,000-fan milestone on Facebook and closing 2016 with 108,229 Facebook fans, an increase of 13% over 2015, 66,000 Instagram followers (+60%) and 48,000 twitter followers (+9%). Several successful special events and ‘instameets’ were organised throughout the year to engage with key influencers and reviewers including a private evening with Yelp reviewers. A special partnership with Twitter was formed as part of the MCA’s 25th birthday celebrations – the #MCA25 hashtag reached over 11 million people and generated 22.8 million page impressions on twitter and Instagram.

A fresh new design was also introduced for the Members and Supporters magazine, Art Matters, now published twice a year. The annual print brochure for schools and quarterly Your Visit print brochure for visitors were phased out, replaced by digital content and a simpler, more accessible museum map.

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MCA Annual Report 2016 Audience Engagement

Throughout 2016 the MCA worked with award-winning arts management consultancy Morris Hargreaves McIntyre (MHM) to help gain an understanding of who the MCA visitors are in order to develop new audiences and transform existing relationships. The audience research investigated people’s motivations and behaviours onsite, enabling MHM to identify and articulate the MCA’s key cultural segments.

MHM’s Culture Segments is a leading international standard segmentation system used by arts and culture organisations such as the Sydney Opera House, Tate Modern, British Museum, Shakespeare’s Globe, Melbourne Arts Centre, Australian Chamber Orchestra, National Gallery Victoria and Queensland Art Gallery to drive audience development. It is based on people’s deep-seated cultural values and their beliefs about the role that culture plays in their lives, getting to the heart of what motivates them.

Key findings are:

 the MCA attracts an equal proportion (39%) of local and overseas visitors, which is unusual and highly desired;  regular visitors are of one of the MCA’s most valuable core groups, as are those that plan a visit in advance – both are more likely to recommend, return and spend in the MCA Store;  the MCA’s culture segment profile is dominated by community focused and artistic ‘Expression’ (40%); by intellectual and culturally sophisticated ‘Essence’ (21%); and by experimental and fun- loving ‘Stimulation’ (15%);  16-34 year-olds represent the largest proportion of visits (29%);  making a general visit is the most common reason for visiting the MCA (67%), followed by seeing the MCA Collection (21%);  3 in 10 people are ‘blown away’ by their visit; a further third are gratified and 32% are content; and  people are hungry to engage digitally post-visit; around 64% will do some form of research using the internet. This research shows that people trust us, and are willing to take risks that we recommend; and are impressed with our professionalism and customer service.

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MCA Annual Report 2016 Development & Enterprises

The MCA raises more than 70% of its income through non-government sources, relying on its relationships with a range of corporate partners and private donors, as well as income earned through commercial activities to generate funds for its exhibitions, programs and operational costs. In 2016, the MCA’s development and enterprise activities raised more than $9.3 million via sponsorships and philanthropy, membership programs and fundraising events, as well as venue hire and MCA Store sales. Strong relationships were fostered with a number of new corporate partners and new Ambassadors and Foundation Donors were welcomed to the MCA family. Membership grew exponentially in 2016 with over 3,884 Members engaged in the program by the end of 2016. The MCA Store had its most successful year on record, with sales of MCA produced merchandise and local artist-designed content selling strongly to local and international visitors. Our venues hosted 63 weddings and 359 corporate and private events. The annual Bella Dinner fundraiser also had its strongest result ever.

MCA supporters enjoy a curatorial tour at the opening of Telling Tales: Excursions in Narrative Form, installation view, Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, June 2016. Featured front: Emily Floyd, It's because I talk too much that I do nothing, 2002, powder coated steel, stained wood, image courtesy the artist and Anna Schwartz Gallery © the artist. Featured rear: Shirley Purdie, Goowoolem Gijam – Gija plants (series), 2013-16, ochre on canvas, courtesy the artist and Warmun Art Centre © the artist/Licensed by Viscopy 2016, photograph Jacquie Manning. MCA Annual Report 2016 Development and Enterprises

Partnerships with leading brands and companies provide a significant source of revenue for the Museum and extend our reach to new audiences and markets. Throughout 2016 new business relationships continued to be developed with prospective partners across various industries.

Highlights from the year included:

 continued support from long term strategic Partners Telstra, Veolia, Destination NSW, Deutsche Bank and Qantas;  presentation of the first suite of acquisitions through the ground-breaking partnership with the Tate and Qantas;  delivery of a unique brand activation aligned with Primavera 2016 by Major Partner, Audi Australia;  renewal of the Young Ambassador partnership with Ray White for an additional three years;  welcoming back Citi as Presenting Partner and Norton Rose Fulbright, as new Major Partner for 2016 Sydney International Art Series exhibition, Tatsuo Miyajima: Connect With Everything;  introducing new Corporate Members Bloomberg and Brookfield; and  the development of a new in-kind marketing partnership with leading creative agency, Ogilvy.

Top L to R: Audi activation on the MCA Forecourt; the MCA Young Ambassadors program is supported by Ray White; Leanne Bennett (wife of40 the late artist Gordon Bennett) and Qantas CEO Alan Joyce at the announcement of the first acquisitions by the Qantas / Tate / MCA partnership. featured artwork: Gordon Bennett, Possession Island (Abstraction), 1991, photograph: Ken Leanfore. Bottom: Bus wrap featuring promotion for Tatsuo Miyajima: Connect With Everything, presenting partner citi, Strategic Partner Destination NSW. MCA Annual Report 2016 Development and Enterprises

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MCA Annual Report 2016 Development & Enterprises

The MCA’s spectacular rooftop venues and prestigious Foundation Hall hosted more than 430 events in 2016 including award nights, gala dinners, product launches, Chinese New Year celebrations as well as bar/bat mitzvahs, engagement parties, weddings and milestone birthdays. Private and corporate hire of the MCA’s venues generated $3.3 million in revenue for the Museum in 2016.

Highlights included:

 Vivid’s Media Launch announcement,  NSW Australian of the Year Awards, and  the Australia Day Citizenship Ceremony and  the Australian Olympic Committee Olympians announcement and Welcome back from Rio.  53 weddings, amongst them; a joint 30th birthday celebration and surprise wedding, and a celebration for the 200th gay couple to be married by the British High Commission in Australia.

The MCA continued to work in close collaboration with food and beverage partners Fresh Catering and Culinary Edge to deliver exceptional catering to event guests. Audio Visual partner AV1 provided creative and responsive lighting and technical support for all events.

MCA Annual Report 2016 Development and Enterprises

Philanthropy at the Museum continued to be a major contributor to the MCA’s ability to deliver ground breaking exhibitions and programs. Supporters engaged with the Museum through a number of new and ongoing initiatives in 2016, including:

 the MCA Foundation which in 2016 provided funds that facilitated the acquisition of 19 works for the MCA Collection, including works by Timothy Cook, Callum Morton, Linda Marrinon and Shirley Purdie;  the launch of a major new partnership with the Tate and Qantas to jointly acquire works for the Tate and MCA collections. The first suite of five artworks was announced in mid-2016 including works by Susan Norrie, Vernon Ah Keen, Gordon Bennett and Judy Watson (see page 6).  the MCA Ambassador program where over 400 Ambassadors enjoyed special access to the Museum, its programs and curators through this bespoke engagement program with private donations providing 8% of MCA’s overall income;  the 2016 Annual Appeal which raised $36,107 towards free digital creative learning programs, enabling access for school students from low socio-economic backgrounds;  the 2016 Bella Dinner – the most successful to date with a total of $537,000 raised on the night through donations and a live auction – with funds generated through this initiative supporting the delivery of Bella and Creative Learning Programs;  the MCA Young Ambassador Program, supported by Ray White, which grew steadily in 2016, welcoming 48 new Young Ambassadors to the group now totalling 141 people; and  the MCA Membership program which also saw enormous growth in 2016 with numbers reaching 3,884 by year end. Grants from trusts and foundations continued to provide crucial support, enabling the MCA to broaden the reach of our exhibitions and creative learning projects to vast new audiences. The Campbell Edwards Trust, Nelson Meers Foundation and Ian Potter Foundation all renewed their support in 2016 – over 5,020 children and adults visited the Tatsuo Miyajima family space (supported by the Ian Potter Foundation) – whilst the ongoing commitment provided by the Vincent Fairfax Family Foundation and The Estate Late James Simpson Love, managed by Perpetual, enabled the Art and Dementia and Bella Momentum programs to continue for a further year. The generosity of the Balnaves Foundation enabled more than 6,964 young people to participate in Genext and C3 West continued to engage large audiences in Western Sydney due to vital support provided by Crown Resorts Foundation and Packer Family Foundation.

MCA Donors attended a private viewing and tour of MCA Collection: Today, Long-time MCA supporter Cynthia Jackson pictured with Bella Plus Tomorrow, Yesterday. Background: Daniel Boyd Untitled (PSM) (detail), 2014, Connect program participant Lloyd Fernandes at the 2016 Bella Dinner, oil and archival glue on linen, Museum of Contemporary Art, purchased with photograph Fiora Sacco. funds provided by Bernard Shafer, in memory of Anna Boeske-Shafer and Samuel Shafer, 2015, image courtesy and © the artist, photograph: Fiora Sacco

MCA Annual Report 2016 Development and Enterprises

MCA Annual Report 2016 Development and Enterprises

MCA Annual Report 2016 Development and Enterprises

Above: MCA Store, photograph: Anna Kučera; Right: GrazeMCA, photograph: Nikki To

The MCA Store continued to improve upon the record result of 2015 with revenue growth driven by the success of Grayson Perry merchandise and catalogue sales.

The MCA Store also increased production of MCA collection and exhibition based merchandise, and continued to establish relationships with Australian artists and designers to provide a unique shopping experience for all MCA members and guests. Highlights include production of a limited edition Tatsuo Miyajima scarf, and the MCA Store’s first involvement with Vogue Fashion Night where visitors had the opportunity to meet with various Australian designers and labels including Elke Kramer, Bausele Watches, Toffee, and Colab Sunglasses.

Visitors to the Museum enjoyed seasonal dining options in the MCA Cafe on Level 4 and Graze MCA on Ground Level, both with sensational views of the Sydney Opera House and Circular Quay. The MCA Cafe created a Japanese-inspired menu and guests were able to watch the sunset over the harbour whilst sampling sake-infused cocktails in the Cherry Blossom Bar on the ground floor terrace of the Museum, both delivered in conjunction with the Tatsuo Miyajima exhibition. MCA partners Fresh and Culinary Edge offered exceptional service and catering for all visitors and private events held across the venues.

MCA Annual Report 2016 Development & Enterprises

The Finance and Corporate Services Division of the MCA is made up of the Finance, Human Resources, Information Technology, Building Services, Design Studio and Archives departments. The division keeps the core of the MCA running in an efficient and effective way, in order to create a strong foundation that supports the whole organisation to achieve its ambitions. The division also works to transform this core, modernising it to increase the organisation’s efficiency and more strongly support the vitality of the organisation.

Highlights in 2016 included:

 strong financial results ensuring that the MCA has the means to continue achieving its ambitions;

 continued reduction in energy consumption and landfill waste;

 new HR policies and initiatives to better support an effective and resilient team;

 the commencement of a major IT system development to bring all MCA data together in a single, authoritative source;

 2 national print and design awards won by the Design Studio for MCA publications; and

 a display of MCA’s history featured in the MCA Library during the 25th birthday celebrations, unearthed via the archives project.

MCA Circular Quay façade, photo: Brett Boardman MCA Annual Report 2016 Finance and Corporate Services

The MCA delivered yet another outstanding financial result in 2016. The year end result was a surplus of $365,411 exceeding the budgeted result by over $125,000. The strong result was driven by an increases across multiple income lines and rigorous cost control throughout the organisation, reducing expenses in a number of areas.

The annual audit was again overseen by Crowe Horwath and the detailed annual financial statement can be found starting on page 51 of this report.

2016 was a difficult year for arts sector funding in Australia, and the MCA participated in a National Day of Action promoting the importance of the arts on 17 June. While the changes mean that the MCA can no longer receive project funding from the Federal Government, the MCA is pleased to continue to receive its important core financial support from the State Government through Arts NSW and the Federal Government though the Australia Council under the Key Organisations and Visual Arts & Craft Strategy funding streams. This vital core support underpins all MCA activities and currently represents 23% of the organisation’s revenue.

Income diversity is a strength of the MCA with the organisation generating over 75% of its revenue through commercial operations, corporate partnerships and philanthropy.

2016 has seen a continued focus on environmental sustainability and reduction of energy consumption throughout the organisation. Energy use for heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems has reduced by 10% on prior years, and general energy usage has continued its downward trend, reducing by 3.5% in 2016. The organisation is transitioning to LED lighting in all office and gallery spaces to reduce consumption and has signed up to the CitySwitch program run by the City of Sydney as a driver to monitor and report on energy efficiencies implemented. Only 2% of waste generated by the MCA goes to landfill. 15% of waste is recycled through formal recycling programs with the remainder being treated though bioreactor systems. Water use has also reduced by 10% during the year.

2016 saw a renovation of the MCA Cafe on Level 4 completed by Fresh Catering who provide the retail offering in this space. New furniture in a variety of types has been installed and new carpets have been laid, improving the acoustics and capacity and visitor experience in the space. The refurbished MCA Cafe on Level 4 of the Mordant Wing, photo: Oneill Photographics

MCA Annual Report 2016 Finance and Corporate Services

2016 was a very strong year for Human 2016 was a major milestone year for Information Resources at the MCA. A highly-experienced HR Technology at the MCA. After an extensive Manager was seconded to the MCA for a twelve- review of the IT systems and infrastructure to month period by Veolia, a long standing examine their efficiency and effectiveness, it was Corporate Partner of the organisation. This decided to transform how information and data support made a significant positive impact on is considered across the organisation to take a the MCA, with a large number of policies and ‘whole of the MCA’ view. After far-reaching procedures being updated or created to support research and analysis, Ungerboeck was agreed the MCA team. The number and quality of the upon as the single, authoritative source of data professional development opportunities for staff across the organisation and the development, was increased during the year, including special customisation and deployment of this system attention being given to Mental Health in the commenced early in 2016. workplace. A number of events were held to further strengthen cross-organisational respect Ungerboeck is now being used for all financial and the workplace culture within the MCA. management and processing, event management, onsite digital communications, A key highlight of the year was an All-Staff Away venue sales and room bookings, and event Day, where the entire organisation focused on tracking and registration. The migration of the exploring the MCA value ‘Collaboration is Key’. core supporter database will occur mid-2017, This day proved highly successful and allowed all which will enable a consolidated understanding staff to understand the interplay of relationships of all the MCA’s relationships. between departments, gain an understanding of the different priorities and pressures faced by In addition to this major project, significant other departments and laid the foundation for improvements have been made to IT improvement in all teams working together infrastructure, including to core servers, backup better. processes, the lecture theatre and other digital equipment throughout the building.

MCA Annual Report 2016 Finance and Corporate Services

The MCA’s Design Studio had a year of successes, winning five major awards for its work. Two Museums Australia Multimedia and Publication Design awards were won for the design of the Grayson Perry Catalogue: Design in Category and Best in Show for Major Exhibition Catalogues at the 2016 awards presentation. This catalogue also won a Wood Pencil in the Culture, Art & Design Books category at the 2016 Design and Advertising Awards (D&AD). These awards are global awards run out of London and are known as being ‘tough-to-win’. This year saw 250 jurors judge some 26,000 pieces of work across 27 categories with most entries being submitted by major creative agencies. The MCA’s entry was the only project conceived and produced by an in-house designer to win an award. The Louise Hearman catalogue won Silver in the Books, Case Bound category at the National Print Awards and the Tatsuo Miyajima catalogue won the Exhibition Catalogues Major category at the Museums and Publication Design Awards.

A large number of other design projects were delivered in 2016, with the Miyajima, Primavera and Louise Hearman catalogues being highlights. In addition, the Studio created the MCA Collection Handbook, which celebrates the work of over 150 artists from across Australia. This lavishly illustrated publication features new and accessible texts and an introductory essay charting the evolution of the MCA Collection.

2016 saw the commencement of a major piece of work on the MCA’s records and corporate history. A short-term position was created in order to overhaul records management practices and review and organise the physical archive records.

A detailed Records Disposal/Retention policy and a Records Management policy has been developed and refined through consultation across the organisation. Detailed work organising and improving the physical archives using this agreed policy commenced during the year and is progressing well. A number of significant records were discovered during this process, which formed the basis of a historical display on the MCA in the library during the 25th birthday celebrations.

The MCA Collection Handbook was published to celebrate the major Stephanie Ferrara, MCA Archives and Record Management Coordinator with rehang of the MCA Collection. one of the displays drawn from the MCA Archives showcased during the MCA’s 25th Birthday weekend, photograph Daniel Boud.

MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART LIMITED (ABN 15 003 765 517)

FINANCIAL REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2016

CONTENTS

1 DIRECTORS’ REPORT

2

3

4

5

6 During 2016, six meetings of Directors were held. Attendances by each Director were as follows:

7 8 AUDITOR’S INDEPENDENCE DECLARATION

9 FINANCIAL STATEMENTS STATEMENT OF PROFIT OR LOSS AND OTHER COMPREHENSIVE INCOME

10 STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL POSITION

STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN EQUITY

11 STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS

12 NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

13 14 15

16

17 18

19

20

21 22 DIRECTORS' DECLARATION

23 INDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S REPORT

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Special needs students from St Christopher’s interact with Jonathan Jones, naa (to see or look), 2015, fluorescent tubes, fittings, electrical cable, Museum of Contemporary Art commission purchased with funds provided by the MCA Foundation, 2015, installation view, MCA Collection: Luminous, MCA, 2015, image courtesy and © the artist, photograph: Daniel Boud