BendigoWeekly www.bendigoweekly.com.au
ISSUE 722 FRIDAY, JULY 29, 2011
ALMOST THERE: Bendigo Art Gallery director Karen Quinlan prepares for the upcoming The White Wedding Dress exhibition at the Bendigo Art Gallery.
WHITE HOT Photo: BILL CONROY
By ROSEMARY SORENSEN
IT’S being called the ultimate wedding party. “This is being watched very carefully right across Australia,” Bendigo Art Gallery director Karen Quinlan said this week. “Costume history shows like these are much more challenging to create, but we know that people do love them.” The White Wedding Dress exhibition is a world exclusive and the first time any gallery has been given the go-ahead to curate their
Wedding dress showcase puts gallery in world-class league
own show from the collections of the Victoria and Albert Museum of London. The exhibition also marks the 10th anniversary of the completion in 2001 of the final stages of a major redevelopment.
It was the addition of gallery spaces, a new cafe and entrance that opened the way for the gallery to become one of the best cultural institutions in Australia. The gallery has tripled in size since 1996, and is now attracting
more than 150,000 visitors annually. Another $7.55m extension is due to begin later this year. The gallery is hoping The White Wedding Dress will push past the previous record set by its Golden Age of Couture exhibition in 2008,
which attracted more than 75,000 visitors with an economic boost estimated at $9.4 million. On the back of the building improvements, the gallery has pushed its reputation for curatorial excellence by securing exclusive exhibitions and ensuring display standards are first-class. “We are very fortunate to have the Bendigo Art Gallery team to work with,” V&A curator Edwina Ehrman said. Continued Page 2
Editorial
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