Overview Gallery Services Report

It gives me great pleasure to present Gallery Services’ Annual Report for 2013/14, highlighting a very dynamic and successful year in which milestones in visitation, development, strategic planning and education have been achieved.

Through our efforts and developed relationships with various governmental, arts sector and corporate partners a total of 283 161 people engaged with a Gallery Services experience: in Perc Tucker Regional Gallery, in Pinnacles Gallery, on The Strand, and in the classroom during 2013/14.

2013/14 heralds the first full reporting period of the Visual Arts Strategy since its inception and implementation in early 2013.

The key strengths and drivers which underpin the Visual Arts Strategy has been Gallery Services’ commitment to the reimagining and repositioning of the region’s public galleries in contemporaneous society through thorough surveying and community feedback undertaken in 2012/13.

Representing a key strategic shift in the role and direction of Gallery Services it is most satisfying to note - in a world where all the information you could ever want or need is available at your fingertips - that through the strategic vision of the Visual Arts Strategy the appeal of the visual arts and Townsville’s key public galleries has never been more evident.

The process of evaluation and innovation has culminated in greater engagement with our community through considered programming, accessibility, relevance and sustainability which has resulted in the greatest participation rates ever seen in the history of the public galleries in the Townsville region.

Gallery Services is committed to helping build Townsville’s growing reputation as a major destination and leader for arts and culture, and through its reputation, programming and exhibitions contributing to the recognition and increase of cultural tourism and economic development driving growth for our region.

Special projects such as Brick by Brick play an important role in the economic development of the region and contribute to the positioning of Gallery Services as a key component of the cultural landscape of north Queensland and the Townsville region.

This commitment and dedication has been noted and celebrated with Gallery Services receiving two prestigious awards during the reporting period. Our flagship biennial outdoor sculpture exhibition Strand Ephemera received Government Communications Australia’s Best Tourism and Events Communication Award

Similarly the hugely popular Gallery Services curated exhibition developed in partnership with The LEGO® Group entitled Brick by Brick was recognised with a Highly Commended Award Temporary or Travelling Exhibition at the 2014 Museum and Galleries National Awards.

To the team at Gallery Services I commend and congratulate you on a year of commitment and dedication. To our patrons, Friend of the Galleries and those members of the Townsville community whom “discovered” Perc Tucker Regional Gallery and Pinnacles Gallery for the first time I thank you for your support and look forward to seeing you at a Gallery Services experience in the future.

Shane Fitzgerald Manager Gallery Services