$40 million Newcastle Art Gallery project set to get underway

The doors to Newcastle Art Gallery may be have just been closed for 18 months, but the work is just beginning for the people behind the scenes.

The doors to Newcastle Art Gallery may be closed but the work is just beginning for the people behind the scenes.

Last week the facility received the long awaited funding boost, from the state and federal governments, which has been somewhat of a political hot potato since 2014.

Early construction work on the project, which is worth just under $40 million is now underway and will feature an additional 1,600 square metres of exhibition space, loading dock and cafe.

Newcastle Art Gallery Director Lauretta Morton says despite the closure, work is ramping up behind the scenes.

Newcastle Art Gallery expansion ready to roll

“We’ll be busy in so many different areas. Work will commence on digitising all the historical hard copy files for the 7000 works of art and forward planning new exhibitions and events for the reopening in 2024. I’ll also be working closely with N project managers throughout the early works and construction phases,” Morton said.

The gallery houses more than 7000 works of art valued at $115 million but only a very small percentage of the collection can be displayed.

This week has seen the stored exhibits packed and ready to move.

“The works of art require 24-hour, international standard environmental climate control and security. In order to maintain these conditions, the collection will be removed from the gallery and transferred to an appropriate storage facility for the duration of the expansion project,” said Morton.

Newcastle artist James Drinkwater believes the gallery, once complete, will be an inspiration for current and aspiring artists, which has already had a marked effect on himself.

Local artist James Drinkwater is looking forward to the Newcastle Art Gallery expansion.

“That gallery is like my church. I went there so many times as a kid. I’ve been lucky enough to have an exhibit shown there back in 2019, it was a proud moment,” Drinkwater said.

Drinkwater believes the expansion project is keeping up with the times with the rest of the world.

“You go to major cities around the globe, Paris, New York, Berlin and they all have great art galleries. This will complement Newcastle that is growing up fast. It will be able to attract bigger and better exhibitions,” said Drinkwater.

The economic benefits of the project will be felt well before the gallery reopens to visitors, with the expansion creating more than 150 construction jobs and providing opportunities for local suppliers.

When finished, the gallery is expected to attract an additional 87,000 visitors each year.

To keep the community engaged during the gallery’s closure, the collections will be available online and will be represented across digital screen sites throughout the city.