$36.5 million Rockhampton Museum of Art now open!
Posted on March 1st, 2022
A brand new multi-million dollar art museum which hosts one of Australia’s best regional art collections has officially opened in Rockhampton. All three levels of government contributed to deliver this project for the people of Rockhampton and visitors to the city and region.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and Federal Member for Capricornia Michelle Landry joined the Mayor Tony Williams and other dignitaries to tour the new $36.5 million Rockhampton Museum of Art as part of the opening celebrations.
The Premier said the Rockhampton Museum of Art, which is six times the size of the previous building, is the new cultural tourism jewel in the crown for Central Queensland.
“Rockhampton is renowned for having one of the best regional art collections in the country with works from John Brack, Arthur Boyd, Russell Drysdale, Sidney Nolan, Jeffrey Smart and Margaret Olley but the old gallery was too small to display them properly,” the Premier said.
“Now the city has a new multi-million dollar three-storey world-class venue to host these national treasures from the modernism and contemporary period and other exciting exhibitions as well.
“The design also puts the museum on par with some of our country’s most respected art galleries and I want to congratulate Rockhampton Regional Council for leading the project’s design and construction which powered on through COVID supporting 165 local construction jobs.”
Federal Member for Capricornia and Assistant Minister for Regional Tourism Michelle Landry said she was proud the Australian Government was able to contribute $10 million in funding from Round 3 of the Building Better Regions Fund to the Rockhampton Museum of Art which supported local businesses who provided goods and services throughout the construction.
“The funding provided the relocation of the Rockhampton Art Gallery from an outdated facility to a new location which will form part of the Cultural Precinct, connecting heritage elements such as Customs House with contemporary art and culture.
The Rockhampton Museum of Art has also been successful for an additional 3 grants from the Australia Government. This includes $29,924 in 2020, $29,580 in 2021 both from the Regional Arts Fund and $2,687 from the Culture, Heritage and Arts Regional Tourism program.
Minister for the Arts Leeanne Enoch said the Queensland Government had invested $15 million into the $36.5 million Rockhampton Museum of Art through the Building Our Regions program and Arts Queensland investment.
“The Queensland Government acknowledges the important role of cultural infrastructure in growing regional development and creating local jobs that last well beyond the construction phase,” Minister Enoch said.
The Rockhampton Museum of Art opens with three outstanding exhibitions, 2022 Gold Award, Here We Meet and Welcome Home which presents Rockhampton’s acclaimed collection of art works.
The new gallery includes international standard double volume exhibition spaces, retail and café spaces, flexible multipurpose areas and administration space, designed to host exciting exhibitions.
The Museum of Art will provide key benefits for the region’s artists and arts sector and provide an incredible experience for visitors.
Funding for the total Rockhampton Museum of Art project was provided by all three levels of government including $15 million from the Queensland Government (including $2 million for the business case), $13.475 million from the Rockhampton Regional Council and $10 million from the Federal Government.
