Adelaide's Indigenous gallery out of the starting blocks

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2606 In Daily art gallery OKBy ERWIN CHLANDA
 
The SA Government has begun consulting with South Australian Aboriginal communities and cultural institutions “to inform the design of its mooted National Gallery for Aboriginal Art and Cultures at the old Royal Adelaide Hospital site”.
 
The announcement comes as a similar project in Alice Springs has been put on hold by NT Chief Minister Michael Gunner in a volatile disagreement with traditional owners over the government’s insistence on putting the gallery in the Anzac Hill precinct.
 
Adelaide’s independent online newspaper In Daily reports today: “Premier Steven Marshall spruiked his vision for a national Aboriginal art gallery at the old Royal Adelaide Hospital site – now known as Lot 14 – ahead of last year’s state election.
 
“He today announced a $200,000 scoping study, flagged in last year’s budget, had begun to inform the ‘visions and key recommendations’ of the gallery, including its size and connection with Indigenous communities.
 
‘The study, to be undertaken by consultancy firm PWC, will involve the South Australian Museum, the Art Gallery of South Australia, the State Library, Tandanya National Aboriginal Cultural Institute and South Australia’s Aboriginal communities.”
 
In Daily reports Mr Marshall saying the Government had already begun preliminary discussions with stakeholders, with the scoping study to further refine the size and scope of the proposed $60 million gallery.
 
“This gallery will be the first of its kind in Australia and will allow us to properly recognise and celebrate the oldest living cultural gallery, which will attract both national and international attention.”
 
We are asking Dale McIver, of Tourism Central Australia, Chief Minister Michael Gunner  and Mayor Damien Ryan to comment.
 

12 COMMENTS

  1. Further to that, the SA Government have apparently negotiated with Qantas around direct cheap air fares to and from the Rock, so not only are they stealing the national gallery from its rightful home they will be diverting the tourists we spent enormous time and energy attracting to the Territory, right out from under our noses!
    We have been completely done over by our own blind stupidity and complete and utter incompetence!
    No bloody wonder we are broke!

  2. SA obviously had a site and are consulting with stake holders.
    NT paid an organisation to identify a site, ignored that advice and absolutely refused to consider any other site except the one they wanted until they were handed the letter from the people they sort of forgot to ask in the first place. No wonder they are so far in debt.

  3. Att Steve Brown: What do you expect when yoy have low standard of people running the Territory?
    If the Territory is going to prosper, it needs industry and stop relying on Federal monies.
    One can only say to all the people in the Territory, you need to lift your game.
    As I have lived in the Territory for many years, the Territory is backwards.
    If Alice Springs really wanted an art gallery, why did not one of the Aboriginal councils fund it, if it’s so important?

  4. This is a good move from the perspective of a National Indigenous Art Gallery.
    An excellent location in a capital city with ready access for national and international visitors. There’s lots to see and do in Adelaide. I predict it will be a huge success.
    In contrast, let’s look at Alice. We may love it – I certainly do having lived here for forty years with no plans of leaving.
    But aside from access to some unique country, what do we offer our visitors? Here’s a clue: Go into town on any day and watch the loud and aggressive drunks stumbling about making fools of themselves.
    Or how about spending an hour or two in the Coles car park any night you choose? Not exactly a good look!

  5. I have also been in Alice for a long time and have seen Alice grow through hard times and good.
    It was a disgrace to see the mud slinging going on over this gallery.
    The government dished to us Alice Springs people a pie.
    I admit it was not a great pie but instead of embracing this opportunity to make it something great, for not only ourselves but our kids to be proud of on both side of the fence, everyone had to have a say and stick there grotty fingers into it.
    By the end its was destroyed and no one wanted a piece of it. Now South Australia have made their own pie and they seem to be making into something every one would like piece of.
    SA tourism, SA government, SA people will prosper from a good slice and the Aboriginal people will finally have a place that they can show the WORLD their heritage, and also tell them how proud they are of being Aboriginal.
    While we here in Alice sit on our spotty behinds with our sticky fingers and watch the planes fly over our heads.

  6. It seems that constant contradiction and inconsistency have reached a point of no return in the NT. I loved Alice Springs and Central Australia for the last 34 years and still love it, but … I may move to Adelaide!

  7. It’s a shame this won’t happen anymore.
    [On the one hand] the government may say we can have this gallery which might bring millions into the local economy, put the Alice on the radar of many who might not have normally thought to come here, possibly [be part] future deals on airfares when Qantas takes an interest in being a promoter of the gallery, and local ongoing employment would show signs of the Alice is still a growing town for investment opportunities for interstate people.
    OR you can sook about the location and it will never happen and you can sit on your little oval and asbestos building and watch the town burn.
    Maybe the outcome might have been different. Good work people who were against it because they thought in some way their memories would be taken from them.

  8. Did anyone consider trying to gain a consensus from Aboriginal people across the nation on where a national Aborignal art gallery should be placed?

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