Newcastle Art Gallery gets official reopening date

Newcastle Art Gallery will reopen its doors next year in time for City of Newcastle's flagship arts and culture festival, New Annual, to be held in late September. 

But before the community is invited back into the reimagined space, City of Newcastle will undertake the most complex fit-out and commissioning process of any building project in its history. 

An artist's impression of the interior of the expanded Newcastle Art Gallery.

Newcastle Art Gallery Director Lauretta Morton OAM said the next stage of work was critical to meet the exacting international standards required to accommodate world-class works of art. 

"City of Newcastle is proud to be the custodian of one of the nation's most significant public collections of Australian and international art, which is valued at more than $126 million," Ms Morton said. 

"But with this honour comes great responsibility as we create a fit-for-purpose home for both our own collection and works of art on loan from across Australia and around the world. 

"We need to get every aspect right, from the international standard humidity and temperature control system, to the global-specification loading dock and quarantine area needed to manage the safe handling of high value works of art, as well as the international standards to display the collection, which includes the top 10 works alone collectively valued at $34million." 

Work on the project remains on schedule for the planned reopening next year, with the final stages of construction now underway. 

City of Newcastle Executive Director City Infrastructure Clint Thomson said he was looking forward to the completion of the transformational project to ensure the long-term protection, preservation and enjoyment of the city's most valuable cultural asset. 

"It's been a tremendously exciting project to design and build. The challenge has been to design a building that is entirely welcoming and inviting to the public but that appropriately secures $126 million in artwork," Mr Thomson said. 

"I sometimes equate what we are building to that of a bank vault, but with windows on every side, a huge front door, a staff entrance and a loading dock. It's been a massive challenge but I'm confident that we have got the balance right in terms of designing a building that Novocastrians can be proud of, but that is also capable of safely hosting in the vicinity of $50 million of art on any day of the year. 

"A project of this nature is unique for our city, and has required collaboration, perseverance and passion as we prepare to deliver one of the largest galleries in Australia.  

"Like many complex infrastructure projects, we have had to overcome a range of challenges, including excessive wet weather, underground utilities and important archaeological preservation, and the remediation of historic mine workings which required five-and-a-half Olympic-size swimming pools worth of grout to be pumped beneath the site.  

"We have also navigated the task of combining a new building with the retrofit of an iconic 47-year-old structure, carefully respecting its heritage while ensuring compliance with modern-day requirements and standards. 

"What we are delivering, however, will make a significant contribution to our city, creating jobs and economic investment now, while promising to help drive our visitor economy once it reopens.  

"It's been fantastic to watch the transformation on site as the roof takes shape and we shift toward the final stages of construction in the coming months, before the fit-out and commissioning are completed." 

The project includes an additional 1,600 square meters of exhibition space with dedicated areas for the Art Gallery's collection on the lower level, while the upper level will cater for a variety of travelling exhibitions, including international shows. 

It will deliver a new café and retail shop, multi-purpose and educational program space, and will extend the building's footprint east along Darby Street and Queen Street. 

The expanded Art Gallery will provide a significant cultural tourism opportunity and is expected to attract 150,000 visitors per year. 

The project is supported by $5 million from the Australian Government under the Regional Recovery Partnerships and $5 million from the New South Wales Government under the Regional Recovery Package, as well as $12 million from the Newcastle Art Gallery Foundation made possible through the Valerie and John Ryan bequest, Margaret Olley Trust, and community fundraising over many years. A further $1 million is currently being sought through the Foundation's public fundraising campaign.