The Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art (QAGOMA) Foundation launched its 2021 appeal on 12 April with an invitation to support the unlocking of the gallery’s collection. The focus of the 2021 Appeal campaign aims to realise the long-held goal of broadening access to the state’s extraordinary collection of more than 19,000 artworks via an expansive digitisation program.
QAGOMA Director Chris Saines said the gallery, like many art museums across the globe, faced the challenge of only ever being able to publicly display ten percent of its collection at any point in time. “With our space to exhibit works of art at capacity across both gallery sites we are also facing the issue of having only sixty-six percent of the state’s world-class holdings of Australian and international art digitised to contemporary standards,” Mr Saines said.
“The 2021 QAGOMA Foundation Appeal will enhance the way works are presented onsite while also expanding our reach online. We envision a future where 100 per cent of the QAGOMA Collection is accessible digitally. Unlocking the QAGOMA Collection will ensure regional and remote audiences have access to the same artworks as visitors who walk through our doors; it will help us share Indigenous Australian art across the world; and it will make the entire collection accessible to a global community of artists, curators, students, academics and art lovers.”
“Digitising QAGOMA’s internationally significant collection to contemporary standards, as well as developing leading digital and interactive experiences, is a critical undertaking. It will ensure greater public access and engagement by our international, regional and remote audiences as well as new communities. It will ensure access for the online visitor around the clock and the world. In the twenty-first century, that’s not just transformative, it’s vital. Expanding digital access to the collection and interpretive content has been a priority for many years and now is the right time for us to drive forward with this initiative and ask our community for their support and investment in this game-changing transformation,” Mr Saines said.
Tim Fairfax AC, President of the QAGOMA Foundation said he proudly supported the gallery’s initiative to dramatically increase online access to the state’s collection. ‘I hope my giving will encourage others to donate and support the gallery to enable audiences everywhere to discover artists, artworks, and unique Queensland stories,’ Mr Fairfax said.
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