Bendigo Art Gallery set to close for $45m redevelopment
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One of Australia's "most significant" regional art galleries is set to close for two years while it gets a makeover worth tens of millions of dollars.
The popular Bendigo Art Gallery, which has hosted exclusive international exhibits featuring Elvis, Grace Kelly, and Frida Kahlo in recent years, will close in November.
The gallery and Bendigo's council have secured $45 million for stage one of the project, which they say will cost $54m in total.
Federal funding is being sought to cover the remainder of the cost.
"It's one of the most significant regional galleries in Australia, certainly one of the most visited in Australia," gallery director Jessica Bridgfoot said.
"This place means a lot to the community and it does a lot in terms of functioning as a cultural hub and a space of education, but [is] also a key economic driver for the city."
The 138-year-old gallery attracted nearly 125,000 visitors in 2023/24 and in 2022 the Elvis: Direct from Graceland exhibition injected $67m into the region.
Ms Bridgfoot said that would allow the gallery to attract even bigger and more exclusive exhibits without sacrificing space for community and education programs.
"We're already planning 2028 and beyond," she said.
The ground floor will be free to visit and will retain three historic galleries and add a learning centre and theatrette.
It will also include a place of keeping to house cultural artefacts of the Dja Dja Wurrung people.
"In 2018 we worked with them on a really significant project and brought 20 cultural artefacts back to Bendigo on Djaara country," Ms Bridgfoot said.
"It allows us to work with traditional owners to facilitate more repatriation from countries all across the world and collections abroad."
The Victorian Government has contributed $21m to the project, alongside $9m from the council and $4m from the gallery board.
However not everyone is excited about the redevelopment.
The size and scale of the design has drawn opposition from the Bendigo branch of the National Trust which said it threatened the 19th century heritage streetscape.
City of Greater Bendigo chief executive Andrew Cooney said the redevelopment would be "sympathetic to the streetscape".
"We think it sits really neatly with the buildings that surround it," he said.
The gallery is expected to be closed until early 2028 and plans are in place for an offsite program to maintain tourism and community engagement.
"We'll do everything we can over the next couple of years to make sure that we've still got people coming to Bendigo and those businesses can still benefit," Mr Cooney said.
By Anna McGuinness
The popular Bendigo Art Gallery, which has hosted exclusive international exhibits featuring Elvis, Grace Kelly, and Frida Kahlo in recent years, will close in November.
The gallery and Bendigo's council have secured $45 million for stage one of the project, which they say will cost $54m in total.
Federal funding is being sought to cover the remainder of the cost.
An artist impression of the Bendigo Art Gallery's new exterior. (Supplied: Bendigo Art Gallery)
"It's one of the most significant regional galleries in Australia, certainly one of the most visited in Australia," gallery director Jessica Bridgfoot said.
"This place means a lot to the community and it does a lot in terms of functioning as a cultural hub and a space of education, but [is] also a key economic driver for the city."
The 138-year-old gallery attracted nearly 125,000 visitors in 2023/24 and in 2022 the Elvis: Direct from Graceland exhibition injected $67m into the region.
Gallery to attract bigger exhibits
A 1,000-square-metre first-floor space for major exhibitions is proposed as part of the redevelopment.Ms Bridgfoot said that would allow the gallery to attract even bigger and more exclusive exhibits without sacrificing space for community and education programs.
Jessica Bridgfoot says the redevelopment will allow the gallery to host bigger and better exhibitions. (ABC Central Victoria: Anna McGuinness)
"We're already planning 2028 and beyond," she said.
The ground floor will be free to visit and will retain three historic galleries and add a learning centre and theatrette.
It will also include a place of keeping to house cultural artefacts of the Dja Dja Wurrung people.
"It allows us to work with traditional owners to facilitate more repatriation from countries all across the world and collections abroad."
The Victorian Government has contributed $21m to the project, alongside $9m from the council and $4m from the gallery board.
However not everyone is excited about the redevelopment.
The size and scale of the design has drawn opposition from the Bendigo branch of the National Trust which said it threatened the 19th century heritage streetscape.
"We think it sits really neatly with the buildings that surround it," he said.
The gallery is expected to be closed until early 2028 and plans are in place for an offsite program to maintain tourism and community engagement.
"We'll do everything we can over the next couple of years to make sure that we've still got people coming to Bendigo and those businesses can still benefit," Mr Cooney said.
By Anna McGuinness
