INTRODUCTION

Public art galleries play multiple roles within the community and our broader national cultural identity. They are cultural and educational centres with responsive, interactive and participatory programming delivered to residing, transient and tourist communities. Regional public art galleries are vital places for community recovery, gathering, connection, engagement and learning. They also need to challenge, inspire, deconstruct, tell truths, share stories, and become cultural agents.

In the short time that I have been the custodian of Hervey Bay Regional Gallery, I have witnessed the intrinsic impact that the Regional Gallery has within the Fraser Coast community. I have been met with overwhelming warmth and welcomes, alongside the message that our creative community is ready for change through action, participation and celebration. It has been a privilege to be part of a consultation process with key stakeholders who respected, heard and valued opinions from our diverse community. I am filled with optimism and anticipation at what we – the Regional Gallery and our community – will achieve over the six years of this Strategic Plan.

Hervey Bay Regional Gallery is a public gallery funded and operated by Fraser Coast Regional Council as a community cultural development service. As well as supporting the professional development of artists, Hervey Bay Regional Gallery is committed to promoting significant aspects of the region, encouraging community participation in Gallery activities, fostering curatorial practice, and encouraging a healthy and sustainable local arts industry. Hervey Bay Regional Gallery is committed to fulfilling the peak body (AMaGA) publication, “First Peoples: A Roadmap for Enhancing Indigenous Engagement in Museums and Galleries” (2018), including reimagining representation through truth-telling and building strong Indigenous engagement via meaningful relationships. This Strategic Plan aims to action the critical pathways and key transformations outlined in the Roadmap from Alignment to Acceleration, which are relevant to local government authorities and public art galleries. The Strategic Plan superseding this Plan will provide advice on meeting the final Roadmap steps that are relevant to Hervey Bay Regional Gallery. (Janke, 2018) Domestic tourism is growing in Australia, with an increasing appetite for authentic cultural tourism experiences. This change is amplified in domestic arts tourism, where Australians are travelling further, staying longer and spending more (Australia Council for the Arts, 2020). Renowned for the spectacular and unique natural environment and a vibrant creative community, the Fraser Coast region has opportunities to enhance visitor experiences with authentic cultural tourism, including deeper engagement with arts and culture. According to Tourism Research Australia, visiting art galleries is one of the primary activities of the domestic cultural tourist (Australia Council for the Arts, 2020). This is reflected in the Regional Gallery’s annual general visitation of which approximately half are tourists.

The arts play an important role in rebuilding community and assisting with community recovery after a disaster (NSF Consulting, 2011).

The arts help create new connections when old ones have been severed, while storytelling is a common thread throughout successful recovery projects (NSF Consulting, 2011).

As the Fraser Coast region develops community recovery projects in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the arts will provide opportunities for our community to connect and move forward together. Hervey Bay Regional Gallery will play an important role in this recovery, both as a physical location to connect to the arts and communities, as well as its online presence as an avenue to celebrate and share stories.

The five (5) key objectives identified in the Key Statements section capture Hervey Bay Regional Gallery’s operations, while striving to stimulate community engagement, interactivity, increased access, outreach and storytelling.

Cara-Ann Simpson Hervey Bay Regional Gallery Curator September 2020