Empty shelves ....
PS. Actually the Cultural Centre's storage facility looks way better than these dusty old shelves!
The promise of empty shelves
The new Blue Mountains Cultural Centre (BMCC) in Katoomba has a state-of-the-art storage facility ready and waiting for a new collection to arrive.
And what’s really exciting is that this collection doesn’t exist yet!
Most cultural facilities with an art or object collection have a policy to guide how acquisitions are made and which themes are prioritised. However, collection policies are often inherited from pre-existing collections, driven by historical precedents and dependant on storage and conservation resources. But the BMCC’s collection policy is brand spanking new!
It's a boon for local artists as well as those inspired by the unique natural environment or historical and social aspects of the region in their work.
And that’s good news—it means that a truly contemporary snapshot of the region can be made through the gradual acquisition of art into the collection. It’s a boon for local artists as well as those inspired by the unique natural environment or historical and social aspects of the region in their work.
Blue Mountains Exhibitions Manager, Sarah Gurich says the aim of the policy ‘is to focus on works which reflects the Blue Mountains story in some way. That may be in the theme of the work or the way the artist filters their ideas through the spectrum of the region.
‘There’s a wealth of artists in the Mountains and while we could build a strong collection by focussing on one area such as studio ceramics, the Collection Committee, felt it was important to collect a wide range of media to develop a vibrant, dynamic collection’, Ms Gurich explained.
The policy has just been signed-off after receiving approval as part of the Cultural Gifts Program which provides tax incentives for those who donate culturally significant works to public institutions and collecting agencies.
So stay tuned to see what will soon adorn their wall and sit on those, as yet, empty shelves!
