2014 ANNUAL REPORT The PGAV is supported by the Victorian Government through Creative Victoria and receives significant in-kind support from the National Gallery of Victoria. PGAV PURPOSE PGAV BOARD OF MANAGEMENT To support, develop and promote public galleries in Victoria within a national context. Karen Quinlan President Regional Representative PGAV MISSION Bendigo Art Gallery Melinda Martin Vice President To build and strengthen the capacity of public galleries Metropolitan Representative in Victoria to deliver valuable cultural, social and Linden New Art economic returns to their communities. Rami Eltchelebi Treasurer Co-opted Representative (Finance) PGAV VISION ShineWing Australia A vibrant, cohesive, professional network of public Jody Evans Spokesperson galleries across Victoria which deliver inspiring visual Co-opted Representative (Marketing) arts experiences that are relevant and accessible to Melbourne Business School the whole community. Anthony Camm Regional Representative Ararat Regional Art Gallery Charlotte Day Metropolitan Representative Monash University Art Museum Tony Ellwood NGV Representative National Gallery of Victoria Wendy Garden Metropolitan Representative Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery Jennifer Kalionis Regional Representative Castlemaine Art Gallery & Historical Museum Dianne Mangan Regional Representative Wangaratta Art Gallery Debra Morgan Co-opted Representative (Philanthropy) 2 Independent Consultant Tom Mosby Metropolitan Representative Koorie Heritage Trust Claire Newhouse Co-opted Representative (Legal) Corrs Chambers Westgarth Lawyers OUR STAFF Anne Robertson Executive Officer (0.8 FTE) Josephine Harkin Summit Intern (0.2 FTE) OUR FINANCIAL TEAM Meredith Windust Accountant FAME Group Pty Ltd Gianna Roscia Auditor Alan Dredge & Co OUR SUPPORTERS Creative Victoria Corrs Chambers Westgarth Lawyers Melbourne Business School National Gallery of Victoria Shine Wing Australia The Robert Salzer Foundation Images (from top): Monash University Museum of Art (MUMA); children take part in NGV Kids Activities at Linden New Art; public program at The Ian Potter Museum of Art. PGAV MEMBERS The PGAV represents over 50 public galleries across metropolitan and regional Victoria: Ararat Regional Art Gallery Art Gallery of Ballarat Arts Centre Melbourne Arts Project Australia Arts Space Wodonga Australian Centre for the Moving Image | ACMI Benalla Art Gallery Bendigo Art Gallery Bundoora Homestead Art Centre Burrinja Gallery Castlemaine Art Gallery and Historical Museum Central Goldfields Art Gallery City Gallery at Melbourne Town Hall Counihan Gallery in Brunswick Craft Deakin University Collections & Gallery East Gippsland Art Gallery Eltham Library Community Gallery Geelong Gallery Gippsland Art Gallery Glen Eira City Council Gallery Hatch Contemporary Arts Space Hamilton Art Gallery Heide Museum of Modern Art Horsham Regional Art Gallery 3 Koorie Heritage Trust Latrobe Regional Gallery La Trobe University Museum of Art | LUMA Linden Centre for Contemporary Arts Manningham Gallery Maroondah Art Gallery McClelland Sculpture Park + Gallery Mildura Arts Centre | MAC Monash Gallery of Art | MGA Monash University Museum of Art | MUMA Montsalvat Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery National Gallery of Victoria National Sports Museum RMIT Gallery Shepparton Art Museum | SAM State Library of Victoria Swan Hill Regional Art Gallery TarraWarra Museum of Art The Duldig Studio The Ian Potter Museum of Art The Gallery @ Bayside Arts and Cultural Centre Images (from top): Bundoora Homestead Art Centre; Town Hall Gallery Geelong Gallery; Abstract Labour by Emily Floyd at Heide Toyota Community Spirit Gallery Museum of Modern Art; the new contemporary wing at Visual Arts Centre, La Trobe University | VAC Bendigo Art Gallery. Wangaratta Art Gallery Warrnambool Art Gallery Whitehorse Art Space PRESIDENT’S REPORT outlined in our Strategic Plan. I am pleased to provide an overview of the PGAV’s 2014 program of activities: BUILDING CAPACITY RESEARCH The PGAV undertakes research of the public gallery sector in Victoria to identify the challenges and opportunities facing the sector. Insights gained from our research are used to deliver programs and services which address these challenges and harness new opportunities for our members. Benchmarking of the public gallery sector In November we undertook benchmarking of the public gallery sector in Victoria to gain insights into Karen Quinlan governance, resourcing, collections, exhibitions and Director, Bendigo Art Gallery audiences as well as identifying key challenges. Over 4.6 million people attended a public gallery in Victoria It has been a significant year for the PGAV as we over the past twelve months – a 25% increase from embarked on key initiatives of our new Strategic Plan 2012. Public galleries in Victoria hold over 220,000 2014-16, aimed at building the capacity of the public items in their collections with a combined value of gallery sector in Victoria. $4.8 billion. For the first time we asked galleries about the number of living artists in their annual program We commenced work with our members on a and learned 3,903 artists were supported by public Statewide Digitisation Program. In February we galleries in Victoria. surveyed the sector to identify current collection management systems, the status of their online This year we also sought feedback from the sector on collections and their future needs. The survey results the services provided by NETS Victoria. The survey were incorporated into a seminar and forum with Dr revealed that NETS Victoria’s services are highly 4 Chris McDowall from DigitalNZ in March, in which valued by small galleries (5 or less staff) in regional members identified their key issues and obstacles and and also metropolitan Victoria. For these galleries we began mapping out the next steps together. NETS Victoria delivered high quality exhibitions that are highly relevant to their audiences and an A major undertaking this year was the development of important part of their annual program. Importantly, the Fifth National Public Galleries Summit, to be held 77% of total members surveyed said they would refer in Bendigo in November 2014. Due to another event NETS Victoria to another gallery – a strong being staged in Sydney in November, we decided to endorsement from the sector. move the Summit to February 2015. The additional time allowed us to expand the program and secure The PGAV will release a benchmarking report in the additional sponsorship. It was an incredibly successful first half of 2015. event featuring 30 presenters and over 100 delegates Survey of the national public gallery sector from across Australia and New Zealand. We will Also in November the PGAV surveyed the national provide a comprehensive overview of the Summit in public gallery sector about their key challenges and to next year’s annual report. identify the level of interest in joining a national peak Following consultation with members at the last AGM, body specifically for galleries. The survey was sent to the PGAV began research into the need for a national over 200 galleries, with 99 galleries across Australia peak body for public galleries. The PGAV Board taking part . The top three challenges facing the sector worked with Gravity Design to identify the role and are 1) capacity (staffing & volunteers), 2) securing key tenets of a national body. We then surveyed the funding and 3) attracting & increasing visitors. While national public gallery sector – with 89% of the top three resource needs to drive impact are 1) respondents interested in being represented by a capacity (staffing & volunteers), 2) funding / fund national peak body for galleries. The PGAV presented raising support and 3) buildings & storage. these findings at the Summit in February 2015 and a Significantly, we learned that 89% of respondents are now working towards a national planning meeting in interested in being represented by a national peak August 2015 to take the concept to the next stage. body. The PGAV presented key outcomes of this research at the Fifth National Public Galleries Summit It has been an incredibly successful year overall, with held in Bendigo in February 2015 and will release a the PGAV undertaking 7 of the 12 key initiatives report later in the year. PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM The PGAV delivers a professional development program to increase the skills, knowledge and professional networks of staff at public galleries across Victoria. Forums & Seminars We started the year with a seminar and forum on Public Galleries and Online Collections – Exploring the Issues in partnership with Creative Victoria. Guest presenter Dr Chris McDowall, Manager of DigitalNZ at the National Library of New Zealand contextualized the growing trend for cultural organisations to make their collections available online and discussed a range of approaches being applied internationally. Chris then led a forum with the public gallery sector on the key issues and obstacles we face and ways these may be addressed. This event marked the start of the PGAV’s new Statewide Digitisation initiative, as outlined in our Strategic Plan 2014-16 and aimed at increasing access to Victoria’s public gallery collections. In March we convened an industry meet and greet at Ten Cubed Collection with owner Dianne Gringlas and curator Ada Moshinsky. Ten Cubed is a private collection that is open to the public. The collection focuses on the work of ten contemporary arts over a ten year period. The aim of