Overview of Gallery Services Activity

2012/2013 was a year of high activity with regards to exhibitions and programs, and increased emphasis on strategic development for Gallery Services.

Gallery Services continued to deliver a program of dynamic exhibitions and events across Gallery Services’ venues, including the culmination of the extremely popular Xstrata Percival Portrait Award, development towards Strand Ephemera, and a diverse and polished range of locally-developed and touring exhibitions which showcased local, national and international artists.

Perhaps the most important development for Gallery Services throughout the period has been the development of strategic frameworks that will underpin all activity from now and into the future. This framework and development will improve the level of service delivered by Gallery Services for the people of Townsville, while positioning the region as a leading arts and cultural destination in the national consciousness.

These developments included, but are not limited to:

• Development and adoption of a Visual Arts Strategy

• Increased communication and partnerships with all levels of government, local and national arts and cultural organisations, and learning institutions

• Project planning and approval of funding to digitise all 2700 plus works in the City of Townsville Art Collection, increasing access to the invaluable cultural asset of the region for the education and enjoyment of Townsville residents

• A restructure of the staffing model used by Gallery Services that brings the organisation in line with modern Gallery practice

• Development, delivery and analysis of an Annual Survey to gauge the satisfaction of the region with Gallery Services’ performance, and inform future activity

Feedback from the Annual Survey was informative and positive. Importantly, more than 95% of visitors’ comments in the Visitors Books also expressed satisfaction with the Galleries’ exhibitions, accompanying programs and activities, and the warm welcome and assistance received from staff and volunteers.

Further to surveying of the Gallery members and contacts, Gallery Services participated in Museum and Gallery Services Queensland’s Guess Who’s Going to the Gallery: A Strategic Audience Evaluation and Development Study for Queensland Galleries across both Perc Tucker Regional Gallery and Pinnacles Gallery.

In 2012, with project funding from the Australia Council for the Arts and Arts Queensland, Museum & Gallery Services Queensland (M&GSQ) partnered with M&G NSW to undertake this parallel study of 18 regional Queensland public galleries. As in the previous NSW Study, each gallery received training on data collection and a bespoke report of their results. A total of 3041 responses were collected across the eighteen galleries and were collated into a Queensland Report, released in 2013.

The data from this process provided Gallery Services an indication as to how it is performing against regional galleries state wide, and also the wants and needs of the Townsville and broader Queensland arts community. This information will assist Gallery Services in programmings exhibitions, educative and public programs that appeal to and engage the community, in-line with the developed Visual Arts Strategy. Excerpts from this data is included at the rear of this Annual Report.

2012/13 proved to be another major year in the development of the City of Townsville Art Collection, particularly with respect to the quality of artworks acquired, many of which featured in major exhibitions held across Gallery Services’ peak gallery venues in recent years. As such, these acquisitions strengthen the Collection’s standing as a significant historical and cultural asset for the region and community.

In total, 27 artworks were formally accepted into the Collection, at a total value of $123,840. Most importantly, $98,670 worth of artworks were donated this financial year, either directly from artists, collectors, or through the Australian Government’s Cultural Gifts Program. This enthusiasm to gift works to the City of Townsville Art Collection is indicative of the regard with which the Collection is held, and of the national significance of Townsville City Council’s premier art galleries, administered by Gallery Services, in attracting such favourable recognition within the arts sector.