Cedars Hans Heysen gallery at Hahndorf reduced in size after old plans become too costly
A $9m art gallery in the Adelaide Hills has been reduced in size after approved plans became too expensive – but the operators couldn’t be happier.
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A $9m art gallery for The Cedars Hans Heysen property in the Adelaide Hills has been reduced in size after approved designs became too expensive.
As construction costs soar in the wake of Covid, the foundation running the Hahndorf property devoted to the work of the renowned painter and his daughter Nora decided to instead plan a more “efficient and sustainable” building.
A two-storey gallery was previously approved after two earlier attempts to launch the project in 2018 and 2021.
The new plans show a “multipurpose” one-storey building, with a floor size cut back from
about 930 sqm to 663.
With its sweeping views of the Hills, the gallery would be devoted to the Heysen family’s collection of art and cultural artefacts, with a retail area and spaces for local artists, art classes and travelling exhibitions.
Armed with ideas from stakeholders and local artists, the foundation began a creative, pragmatic process for the new design, CEO Tori Dixon-Whittle said.
Ms Dixon-Whittle said the cutback gallery the would be a “beautiful” building and easier to manage for a small staff.
She said the 150-acre Cedars property was predominantly run by volunteer staff of about 60 and three full-time staff.
“This building is open and multifunctional,” she said. “The larger the building, the more the running costs and this way offers the opportunity for other add ons – we’ve talked about a separate function space down the track.
“We’ve created a gallery that’s going to be beautiful and highly functional, a great space to display Hans’ and Nora’s artwork and travelling exhibitions, artwork from local artists too – it’s a gallery space that will be multipurpose.”
“The Cedars is experiencing an exciting time in its evolution. Our team has been hard at work reinvigorating the property with renovations to historic buildings, opening the new Cedars cafe and tea rooms, and launching an engaging calendar of events for our growing Cedars’ community.
“The new Heysen Gallery will further elevate our award-winning cultural precinct protecting and showcasing the Heysen cultural legacy and enabling collaboration with other artists in a sustainable and multipurpose space.
“These new plans are the synthesis of all our previous work on the gallery design and ensure that, despite increases in construction costs, the building is being built on budget”.
The Cedars has won the SA Cultural Tourism Award for the past three years and is now in the SA Tourism Hall of Fame.
The gallery is funded with a federal grant under the Adelaide City Deal.
Last month, it was revealed the site would house nine off-grid eco cabins for tourism accommodation.
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