New gallery and museum could be the best between Newcastle and the Gold Coast says curator

New museum and gallery will be “newest and most significant” between Newcastle and the Gold Coast. Crs voted to allocate funds for new exhibits but, as with most votes on the Cultural and Civic Space, it wasn’t straightforward.

Coffs Harbour City Councillors voted to consider allocating $1,886,325 in future budgets to fund new permanent exhibitions in the new museum which will be housed in the Cultural and Civic Space.

At their recent meeting Councillors agreed to consider an allocation of $734,606 in 2021/22 and a further $1,151,719 in 2022/23 to fund the new permanent exhibitions. Staff will also seek grants and other external funding sources.

As with most votes on the Cultural and Civic Space it wasn’t a straightforward process with Crs Tegan Swan and Keith Rhoades keen to add an extra clause to the funding agreement stipulating that:

- Prior to allocating funds for the exhibitions, council provide an updated end cost budget for the CCS project including all required expenses to have the project fully operational.

- Retain the current Coffs Harbour Regional Museum at 215A Harbour Drive for as long as feasibly possible in line with the development of the new permanent museum exhibitions to allow for necessary preparation and logistics to reopen in the Cultural and Civic Space building.

The Coffs Harbour museum.

The early stages of construction are underway at the Gordon Street site.

The interactive permanent exhibitions will tell the stories of the Gumbaynggirr people and broader community using a quality range of contemporary audio, visual and digital displays, as well as fascinating artefacts.

‘Stories of Coffs’ and ‘Welcome to Country’ Gumbaynggirr exhibitions are planned to be the centrepiece of the new Museum and Gallery, designed by Council staff together with specialist museum design consultants to wrap around and grab the attention of visitors from the first moment.

How the Cultural and Civic Space will look from outside.

“Today’s museums focus on the visitor experience and visitors these days expect a lot more than simply to look at ‘old things’,” Council’s Gallery and Museum Curator Jo Besley said.

“They want them brought to life and made interactive in exciting and thought-provoking ways.

“Museums are now about education, lifelong learning and pleasure. We all want to see our identity and history told in an exciting and inclusive way.”

Coffs Harbour City Council Gallery and Museum Curator Jo Besley is passionate about the vision for the Cultural and Civic Space. She is looking across into the Riding Lane fig tree from the upper levels of the Coffs Central carpark.

She says nostalgia and community pride are very important, but our stories can be told in a way that stimulates the viewer and really makes them think about the past – and its relevance to the present experience of living in the Coffs Coast region.

Ms Besley explained that Museums are no longer places to ‘warehouse’ old and valuable objects, but are fun, welcoming and inclusive places to spend your leisure time.

A Lipman site office has been set up at the Cultural and Civic Space construction site.

They also play an important role in conserving the collections they showcase by ensuring they are contained in quality displays with atmospheric controls that keep artefacts safe for the future.

“Across the world, visiting museums and galleries is the most popular form of cultural tourism and here in Coffs Harbour we will have the newest and most significant museum/gallery between Newcastle and the Gold Coast,” she added.

The ‘Welcome to Country’ would be created in partnership with the Gumbaynggirr community and designed specifically for the space. Its design will be led by an Indigenous artist or media specialist.

‘Stories of Coffs’ would present the social history of the Coffs Coast, showcasing much more than has previously been able to be shown of the Museum’s existing, significant collections of textiles, furniture, transport, domestic items, work and domestic tools, photographs and other resources.

The exhibitions would be designed to be in place for eight to 10 years with sections that can periodically be changed or updated. Entry to the permanent exhibitions will be free.