Page 9 - Annual Review 2008

REwiNd / 9
'Innovative audience development is an
inherently optimistic endeavour, essentialto the life and future of an art museum.'
@ the Met announcement31/10/08
This year closed with a great sense of achievement
and momentum, and the launch of ‘Contemporary
Australia: Optimism’ — the first in a new triennial
series of exhibitions dealing with the visual art and
culture of contemporary Australia. It’s an exhibition
theme which brings together forward-looking
artists who are willing to engage with prospect and
opportunity. And, in many ways, it’s the kind of focus
that has absorbed the Gallery this year.
The 2008 program of exhibitions was truly
diverse and was supported by the accessible and
sophisticated interpretive and educational programs
for which the Gallery is recognised. The Gallery is
also recognised for its strength as a collector of the
contemporary art of Asia and the Pacific. This year
we were able to confidently and significantly broaden
the reach of our contemporary collections, and a
group of important new international acquisitions
was assisted by the very generous support of Tim
Fairfax, AM, and his wife Gina Fairfax.
diRECTOR'S
MESSAGE
Director Tony Ellwood leads a tour of ‘Contemporary Australia: Optimism’ for sponsors.
Photograph: Ray Fulton
Background: Guests at the announcement of ‘American Impressionism and Realism:
A Landmark Exhibition from the Met’, October 2008. Photograph: Natasha Harth
The Gallery is grateful for the wonderful support it
receives from many sources —from government,
the Foundation, members and corporate supporters,
as well as from its much-valued staff. Most
importantly, the success of the Gallery’s programs
is fundamentally dependent upon the support of
its audiences. Innovative audience development
is an inherently optimistic endeavour, essential
to the life and future of an art museum.
In 2008, the Gallery achieved record attendances;
attracted significant growth in Gallery membership;
secured unprecedented levels of both corporate
and private support; and continued to develop
new audiences, particularly through the Australian
Cinémathèque, the Children’s Art Centre and the
new Up Late programs.
This new publication provides an overview of the
milestones of 2008 and a glimpse into the offerings
of 2009. I invite you to reflect on 2008, and to visit
us in the year ahead.
Tony Ellwood
director, Queensland Art Gallery