The Art Gallery of Ballarat will close in March to prepare for extensive interior upgrades that will enable the gallery to display more works from its permanent collection and secure international exhibitions.  

From today (February 3), de-installation of some temporary exhibitions including Medieval to Metal will begin, and some galleries will close, while the permanent collection remains on display and open to the public.

From Monday, 3 March the Art Gallery of Ballarat will close entirely. It is anticipated that it will re-open in early 2026.  

Once closed, the de-installation of the permanent collection will take place ahead of stage one of the works. The first stage includes interior wall lining enhancement which will enable dynamic displays of artworks at varying heights, allowing more of the 11,500 permanent collection artworks to be displayed.

Additionally, as part of the State Government’s Regional Collections Access Program, a $536,707 upgrade of the building’s skylights to energy efficient LED panels will also occur. With the correct lighting conditions, the gallery can display more works on paper which are sensitive to light and UV.

Integral to the program of works is the installation of a new Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) system.  

The $5.5 million project, funded by the City of Ballarat, will replace the existing HVAC system which is at end-of-life. A new state-of-the-art HVAC system that meets international museum standards is essential for securing the best international exhibitions and loans of significance. Refurbishment of both the passenger and freight lifts will also take place.

In 2024 the State Government announced funding of $388,850 for the Art Gallery of Ballarat to complete a Master Plan that will drive the ambitious future direction of the Art Gallery of Ballarat. The 2025 interior upgrade works are an integral part of the long-term plan.  

While closed, back-of-house staff will work on much needed collection digitisation and documentation, as well as forward planning. Front-of-house staff will be re-deployed to other projects along with off-site programs and activities.  Examples include:  

• The Gallery Shop pop-up at 50 Lydiard Street, Nth (formerly Evans Bakery)  
• Backspace exhibition program to continue at 43 Mair Street off-site venue  
• NextGen 2025, which showcases the best student art from the Ballarat region, taking place at GovHub  
• Further off-site education and public program activities to be announced  

Art Gallery of Ballarat Director Louise Tegart said she understood that a closure was disappointing for those who love visiting regularly, but that the interior upgrades are essential to maintain operations and would result in more compelling experiences.  

“Home to more than 11,500 works, the Art Gallery of Ballarat holds the most significant permanent collection in regional Australia. The interior upgrades project will allow us to better display rarely seen paintings, sculptures and works on paper,” Ms Tegart said.    

“Most importantly, replacing the HVAC system, which is at end of life, will ensure that we comply with the strict environmental standards required to host international exhibitions and also preserve our incredible collection.

“The Art Gallery of Ballarat is the oldest regional gallery in Australia, founded in 1884. We are so proud of our heritage, and we know these capital works will ensure our future programming meets international standards and expectations of our community.”  

City of Ballarat Mayor Cr Tracey Hargreaves said the Art Gallery of Ballarat delivered enormous cultural and visitor economy impact and the works would further enhance its role in Ballarat’s community and tourism sectors.    

“The interior works and upgraded HVAC system will ensure the Art Gallery of Ballarat’s team is able to secure iconic loans from respected institutions and put on blockbuster shows that will engage our community, attract tourists and contribute to our economy,” Cr Hargreaves said.  

“In 2023-24 the Art Gallery of Ballarat had 150,607 visitors through its doors and had an estimated economic impact of $46 million. Once these works are completed, we expect the impact to be bolstered further.” 

This story based on a City of Ballarat media release

The Art Gallery of Ballarat is set to develop a master plan that’s expected to bolster its position as a leading Australian regional gallery.

The gallery is the oldest purpose-built gallery in Australia and holds the largest collection of Australian art in regional Australia and the fifth most significant collection in the country.

Visiting the gallery in recent days, Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events Steve Dimopoulos announced that the gallery will receive $388,850 for a masterplan, to help the it fulfil its potential as a must-see arts and culture destination.

The City of Ballarat will also contribute $100,000 towards the master plan delivery.

The Art Gallery of Ballarat Master Plan will deliver a comprehensive review of the current building and a proposal for upgrades to become a world-class arts and culture facility for the delivery of major exhibitions, programming and visitor experience.

Enhanced infrastructure and facilities are expected to drive visitation of more than 200,000 people annually. Of this figure, an anticipated 50,000 people per blockbuster exhibition would add an additional estimated economic impact of $13 million and create 106 local jobs.

The Master Plan will also identify opportunities for expansion into additional sites, including the exploration of major open storage development opportunities, which will address storage and exhibition constraints.

City of Ballarat Mayor Cr Des Hudson said the Art Gallery of Ballarat Master Plan would help the Gallery fulfil its vision of becoming the leading regional gallery in Australia.

“The Art Gallery of Ballarat Master Plan will ensure the City of Ballarat can continue to build the Gallery’s significance as an art institution, and as a critical economic and tourism generator for Ballarat and the broader region,” he said.

“It will allow the Gallery to present blockbuster exhibitions and experiences that appeal to a broad range of audiences, and complement the broader growing hospitality and attractions sectors in the city.

“We are thankful to the State Government for their investment in this project and are very proud to help deliver it for the Ballarat community.”

Art Gallery of Ballarat Director Louise Tegart said it was a privilege to deliver engaging exhibitions and public programs to more than 150,000 local, interstate and international visitors to the Art Gallery of Ballarat each year.

“This funding allows us to develop a comprehensive and holistic master plan, deliver exceptional visitor experiences and set new cultural tourism standards.”

For information about the Art Gallery of Ballarat’s current exhibitions, visit the Art Gallery of Ballarat website. 

This story based on a media release supplied by The City of Ballarat. Images: Supplied

There has been a significant rise in visitor numbers to the Art Gallery of Ballarat, showing a positive trend in audiences returning post COVID.

Newly released figures show that during the 2022/23 financial year, the Art Gallery of Ballarat had 113,734 visitors, averaging 9,479 visitors per month.

The annual visitation represented a 33 percent increase on the previous year and indicates the gallery is well on the way to getting back to pre-COVID visitation levels, when almost 190,000 visitors were recorded in 2018/19.  

The Art Gallery of Ballarat Shop also achieved a significant increase in revenue in 2022/23, recording a 32 per cent increase in revenue on the previous financial year.

City of Ballarat Councillor, Cr Mark Harris praised Gallery Director Louise Tegart and the entire team of staff for their hard work and outstanding results.

“The Art Gallery of Ballarat is such an incredible asset for the entire city and to see it performing so well is a justification of all the crucial background work over many years,” he said.

“The programming that we saw in 2022/23, most notably our collection exhibition Beating about the Bush showcasing Australian impressionist paintings and contemporary photography and the paired exhibitions Pre-Raphaelites: Drawings & Watercolours and In the Company of Morris, were both an outstanding success.

“It’s an exciting time for the gallery and the future is looking very bright with a new strategic plan also underway.

“I’ve been told that what is motivating the gallery team now is how much more can be done with this work already completed. There are exciting plans for the years to come.”

Highlights from the 2022/23 financial year included:

• Pre-Raphaelites: Drawings & Watercolours and In the Company of Morris: The Pre-Raphaelites was a touring exhibition from the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford. It was presented in Australia exclusively by the Art Gallery of Ballarat. In the Company of Morris showcased an exhibition of historical and contemporary Australian artworks demonstrating the influence of the Pre-Raphaelites and in particular William Morris. Both exhibitions were run concurrently.
• Partnership with multiple City of Ballarat events: including the Skywhales launch at the Eastern Oval for the 2022 Ballarat Winter Festival; an Art Gallery of Ballarat outreach activity in the Botanical Gardens for the Ballarat Begonia Festival; hosting the launch of the Be Hear Now music festival and presenting a series of events for the Ballarat Heritage Festival. The Art Gallery of Ballarat also partnered with the City of Ballarat Early Years team to present an outdoor Family Day and Ballarat’s Biggest Playgroup 2023.
• A $50,000 grant through the Department of Transport’s Flexible Local Transport Program: The grant program helped address issues preventing those in regional and remote areas from attending the Art Gallery of Ballarat. The funding enables the gallery to host students from schools that don’t usually have the resources to travel for a gallery visit. During 2022/23, the scheme brought in 527 participants from 21 schools from Western Victoria, who travelled a total of 2,648km with an average cost of $1,151.09 per trip and program continues into the current financial year.

The Art Gallery of Ballarat is currently a key venue for the Ballarat International Foto Biennale 2023, presenting the high-profile international exhibitions People Power – Platon and Instant Warhol exhibitions as well as five other exhibitions, including of works by local Ballarat artists.