Billion-dollar arts centre bonanza to become our next world-class attraction

A NEW $1 billion arts precinct, with bars, cafes and live music spaces, will cement Melbourne as the nation’s cultural capital and draw millions of visitors to Victoria, as well as creating 10,000 jobs.

VICTORIA is getting a new arts precinct worth up to $1 billion to draw millions of visitors to the state and create 10,000 jobs.

The Sunday Herald Sun can reveal the massive project will be kickstarted with $208 million from the Andrews Government, to plan and design a world-leading contemporary gallery built on the site of the Carlton & United Breweries building — behind the Arts Centre and National Gallery of Victoria.

The total redevelopment area in Southbank will include open space almost as large as the MCG, paving the way for new bars, cafes and live music spaces.

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The centrepiece will be NGV Contemporary, the largest gallery of its type in Australia and comparable to famous landmarks such as MoMA in New York City and the Guggenheim in Spain.

An architect’s impression of the proposed arts precinct, which will include a contemporary modern arts area called NGV Contemporary.

An architect’s impression of the proposed arts precinct.

Central to the plan will be a worldwide search to design a landmark modern building of “architectural significance” unlike any in the state, with the aim of it becoming a global tourist attraction.

Premier Daniel Andrews will unveil the plan on Sunday and told the Sunday Herald Sun it was a “once-in-a-generation” opportunity.

“The redevelopment of Southbank and the arts precinct will create thousands of jobs and attract millions of visitors from across Victoria, Australia and the world,” he said. “It’s a game-changer for our city that will cement Melbourne as the cultural capital of Australia.”

The new hub will be home to the Australian Performing Arts Gallery, an expanded Australian Music Vault and education and research facilities.

Theatres and public spaces at the Arts Centre will also be upgraded.

There will be a two-year design phase and major construction is likely to begin early next decade.

An architect’s impression of the proposed arts precinct.

Alfie, 3, and Josh, 4, marvel at Soundsuit (2015) from Nick Cave’s Soundsuit series at the NGV. Picture: Ian Currie

Director of the NGV, Tony Ellwood, said the changes would bring huge numbers of people to the city and mean the arts and sports sectors would be “both the best in the region”. “It’s not just about the new gallery, it’s what it does to consolidate all the infrastructure,” he said. “The ripple effect around the neighbourhood means you will get new bars, rooftop restaurants — it will just go nuts.”

Creative industries support 242,000 jobs in Victoria and contribute $22 billion to the economy, as visitors pour into the world’s most liveable city. An extra three million visitors will come to the precinct each year after the redevelopment, which will create 10,000 jobs during construction and 260 ongoing jobs once completed within a decade.

Creative Industries Minister Martin Foley said the plan would include something for everyone.

“The revitalised arts precinct will better connect our existing facilities, create new jobs, opportunities and spaces for our creative community, and offer free, accessible cultural experiences for all Victorians,” Mr Foley said.

The NGV’s deputy director, Andrew Clark, said the new gallery would mean “tripling the space that we have available for contemporary collections. It’s a really massive increase”.

“When you go to cities like London, there might be four major exhibitions in four different institutions so we can move much more to that model — the tourism opportunities are huge,” he said.

The Guggenheim museum in Bilbao, Spain. Picture: Alamy

The Guggenheim museum in Manhattan, New York.

The $208 million investment from the state government will pay for land acquired for the project from CUB, as well as planning and design work. Project proponents expect the federal government to also contribute, while philanthropists will be encouraged to give generously.

“When you are talking arts philanthropy, this is the city to do it. We are confident people will get behind it,” Mr Ellwood said.

A key focus will be a continued emphasis on exhibitions that attract Victorians of all ages.

A GLOBAL ICON OF OUR CITY

PLANS for a world-class contemporary gallery are expected to spark a global search for a new Melbourne “icon”.

National Gallery of Victoria director Tony Ellwood said the centrepiece of the mega-arts precinct announced today would give the chance to come up with a world-class building.

“It needs to be one of the symbols of the city, it needs to be internationally respected, it needs to be projecting the future of architecture,” he said.

“What we need to do is go with an international search and see what the best designers in the world come back with.”

In the 1950s, Sydney opened the design of its new opera house to the world, leading to the construction of Australia’s most famous building.

Mr Ellwood, who has overseen growth in annual visitor numbers at the gallery from 1.4 million six years ago to more than 3.1 million last year, said NGV Contemporary would be purpose built.

National Gallery of Victoria director Tony Ellwood with deputy director Andrew Clark.

“We need a building that does reflect what you see when you walk into the MoMA or the Whitney, those kinds of spaces,” he said. “We have been very clear about scale, height, weight, those sorts of things.”

One of the goals for the new space will be to include family-friendly and interactive exhibitions for children, with fashion, architecture, sculpture and film likely to feature.

Mr Ellwood pointed to the Yayoi Kusama exhibition that was part of the recent Triennial, where people placed flowers in a white room until it was filled with colour, as an example of contemporary art that involves all people.

“You had your Caroline Springs family next to your Toorak matron all laughing their heads off taking photos of each other. That’s what contemporary art can do today,” he said.

Plans for open space will also draw on successful international regeneration projects.

Special Minister of State Gavin Jennings said the project would “better connect our iconic arts precinct and open it up with new public spaces for locals and visitors to enjoy”.

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