Mr WOOD - 2009-11-26
The Alice Prize is a prestigious national art award which has been running for 39 years. It attracts entrants from around Australia and is the only Northern Territory art award which is open to anyone. It has previously been exhibited in Gallery 1, overflowing into Gallery 3, and high-class galleries of international standard. This year, the Alice Prize will be exhibited in Gallery 1, and overflow to Witchetty’s, the revamped restaurant, which is substandard, with inadequate lighting and airconditioning.
Why will your department not relocate the Origins to Innovations: Aboriginal Art in Central Australia Exhibition, as it was for the Desert Mob Art Exhibition, from Gallery 3 to Witchetty’s for the period of the Alice Prize? Will you establish a board comprising representatives from all community stakeholders, other users of the precinct, and Friends of Araluen to develop a draft Araluen Cultural Precinct Development Plan?
Will your department construct, under your A Working Future policy, a world-class gallery to be built at Hermannsburg, one of the growth towns, to display the very important Western Desert Art, to provide the opportunity for Indigenous employment and business, give artists a sense of worth, and tourists the opportunity to purchase art from the artists while travelling the Red Centre Way?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Nelson for his question. The Henderson government is committed to developing our arts sector, and a brilliant jewel in the crown is the Araluen Cultural Precinct, which I have had the pleasure of visiting many times in my brief time as the minister.
Member for Nelson, I have to say there has been much misinformation around this issue. I have done my best to get to the bottom of this. It is important to note that the Araluen Arts Centre aims to present, promote, develop and support art industry development in Alice Springs and Central Australia, and that means working together with individual artists, organisations and stakeholders.
You are correct. In 2009, Gallery 3 in the Araluen Arts Centre was devoted to the permanent display of the exhibition Origins to Innovations: Aboriginal Art in Central Australia. This development was a key component of the Moving Alice Ahead strategy. Contrary to the misinformation, Gallery 3 was not used for local exhibitions. It has always been used to display the Araluen Collection. The permanent exhibition I talked about acknowledges the importance of the Aboriginal art movement in Central Australia, and is a key development in recognising that development, the history, and also a key component of displaying the Araluen Collection.
This decision was made with regard to a number of visitor surveys. What it reflects, for the people of Alice Springs and Central Australia, is not only a national interest, but also international interest in Indigenous art. The exhibition is the first part of a staged development at the Araluen Cultural Precinct. It assists audiences to gain an appreciation of Aboriginal art and culture across all regions and language groups in Central Australia.
In association with the opening of that, you might be interested, member for Nelson, that Witchetty’s Gallery had a major makeover. I was there the other day, and it has become another gallery available in the Araluen Cultural Precinct.
In relation to this move that has created some of the concerns, visitation to the Araluen Art Centre galleries has increased by approximately 20%, which is good news for the Araluen Cultural Precinct.
In relation to the exhibition of the Alice Prize, an exhibition agreement was signed by the Araluen Art Centre and the Alice Springs Art Foundation in July 2009 for the display of the Alice Prize exhibition in Gallery 1 and Witchetty’s from 30 April to 6 June 2010. In addition, the Araluen Art Centre has agreed to support the 2010 Alice Prize exhibition by staffing the exhibition on weekends, with gallery sitters to be provided by the Alice Springs Art Foundation on weekends for the duration of the exhibition. Support has also been offered with two extra weeks’ display space at no charge.
Member for Nelson, to conclude, I believe this issue has brought the community together. It has brought back the Friends of Araluen and the founders of this wonderful piece of culture in the Centre. It has all stakeholders talking, and it has informed the draft development plan for the Araluen Cultural Precinct. In terms of a major icon for Indigenous art, yes, I support that, and I hope to be able to work, as the minister, towards achieving that. It will take a lot of work. As you know, it has a lot of support, and what better way to celebrate our Indigenous art in the Northern Territory.
Why will your department not relocate the Origins to Innovations: Aboriginal Art in Central Australia Exhibition, as it was for the Desert Mob Art Exhibition, from Gallery 3 to Witchetty’s for the period of the Alice Prize? Will you establish a board comprising representatives from all community stakeholders, other users of the precinct, and Friends of Araluen to develop a draft Araluen Cultural Precinct Development Plan?
Will your department construct, under your A Working Future policy, a world-class gallery to be built at Hermannsburg, one of the growth towns, to display the very important Western Desert Art, to provide the opportunity for Indigenous employment and business, give artists a sense of worth, and tourists the opportunity to purchase art from the artists while travelling the Red Centre Way?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Nelson for his question. The Henderson government is committed to developing our arts sector, and a brilliant jewel in the crown is the Araluen Cultural Precinct, which I have had the pleasure of visiting many times in my brief time as the minister.
Member for Nelson, I have to say there has been much misinformation around this issue. I have done my best to get to the bottom of this. It is important to note that the Araluen Arts Centre aims to present, promote, develop and support art industry development in Alice Springs and Central Australia, and that means working together with individual artists, organisations and stakeholders.
You are correct. In 2009, Gallery 3 in the Araluen Arts Centre was devoted to the permanent display of the exhibition Origins to Innovations: Aboriginal Art in Central Australia. This development was a key component of the Moving Alice Ahead strategy. Contrary to the misinformation, Gallery 3 was not used for local exhibitions. It has always been used to display the Araluen Collection. The permanent exhibition I talked about acknowledges the importance of the Aboriginal art movement in Central Australia, and is a key development in recognising that development, the history, and also a key component of displaying the Araluen Collection.
This decision was made with regard to a number of visitor surveys. What it reflects, for the people of Alice Springs and Central Australia, is not only a national interest, but also international interest in Indigenous art. The exhibition is the first part of a staged development at the Araluen Cultural Precinct. It assists audiences to gain an appreciation of Aboriginal art and culture across all regions and language groups in Central Australia.
In association with the opening of that, you might be interested, member for Nelson, that Witchetty’s Gallery had a major makeover. I was there the other day, and it has become another gallery available in the Araluen Cultural Precinct.
In relation to this move that has created some of the concerns, visitation to the Araluen Art Centre galleries has increased by approximately 20%, which is good news for the Araluen Cultural Precinct.
In relation to the exhibition of the Alice Prize, an exhibition agreement was signed by the Araluen Art Centre and the Alice Springs Art Foundation in July 2009 for the display of the Alice Prize exhibition in Gallery 1 and Witchetty’s from 30 April to 6 June 2010. In addition, the Araluen Art Centre has agreed to support the 2010 Alice Prize exhibition by staffing the exhibition on weekends, with gallery sitters to be provided by the Alice Springs Art Foundation on weekends for the duration of the exhibition. Support has also been offered with two extra weeks’ display space at no charge.
Member for Nelson, to conclude, I believe this issue has brought the community together. It has brought back the Friends of Araluen and the founders of this wonderful piece of culture in the Centre. It has all stakeholders talking, and it has informed the draft development plan for the Araluen Cultural Precinct. In terms of a major icon for Indigenous art, yes, I support that, and I hope to be able to work, as the minister, towards achieving that. It will take a lot of work. As you know, it has a lot of support, and what better way to celebrate our Indigenous art in the Northern Territory.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016