Construction tender to be released for Alice Springs gallery
A construction tender for the National Aboriginal Art Gallery will soon open while the build of its Darwin counterpart powers ahead.
Northern Territory
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While cranes move into a buzzing construction site in the centre of Darwin city, land earmarked for a multimillion-dollar art gallery in Alice Springs remains empty.
But the NT government is promising that’s all about to change, with a construction tender for the National Aboriginal Art Gallery to open in the coming days.
The project was first announced in 2017 and has been marred by controversy, particularly around its Anzac Oval location which the government had to pay the Alice Springs Town Council $3.6m to acquire.
However Arts, Culture and Heritage Minister Chansey Paech said on Thursday construction was expected to start next year, ahead of the project’s forecasted opening in late 2026.
Meanwhile, works on the Northern Territory Art Gallery have reached key milestones with basement ramps, lift shafts and waterproofing under way.
Mr Paech said both galleries were “huge projects” for the Territory.
“They’re backing in and showcasing to the world just how important our artistic community is,” he said.
The Top End gallery is costing $88m, as part of a $145m State Square redevelopment, while the National Aboriginal Art Gallery in Alice Springs is earmarked to cost almost $150m, with the federal government funding more than half that.
When asked if the Territory could afford two multimillion-dollar art galleries, Mr Paech said both projects but particularly the Alice Springs gallery would draw more visitors to the Territory.
“This, once completed, is a place where people will come – 53,000 visitations a year additionally into Central Australia,” he said.
Infrastructure Minister Eva Lawler said construction of both projects would create jobs for between 400 and 500 workers in total.
“It’s great news particularly for Darwin around making sure that Darwin is that tropical capital city in Australia,” she said.
“This work here at State Square is about joining up the beautiful Waterfront that we see but also with Cullen Bay … (it) will be truly magnificent.”
The Northern Territory Art Gallery, being built beside Parliament House and the Supreme Court, is set to be completed at the end of 2025.
* A government media release incorrectly named the Alice Springs art gallery. The NT News has corrected the error.
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