The Blue Mountains Cultural Centre has become a significant arts and cultural entity within the western Sydney region and is recognised nationally, an end of year report card has revealed.
The 2017-18 annual report of operations, endorsed by Blue Mountains City Council at a meeting on October 16, showed the centre attracted almost 120,000 visitors in the year.
Blue Mountains mayor Mark Greenhill said the Blue Mountains City Art Gallery presented 19 exhibitions in the main gallery space and began the national tour of the exhibition, As Far As The Eye Can See, to nine venues across five states.
“The success and quality of the national and international exhibition program has significantly increased the exposure of the Blue Mountains City Art Gallery to a national audience and the gallery is now recognised within the art museum industry of Australia as a major exhibition space, meeting international standards of exhibition and preservation,” Cr Greenhill said.
“The council is proud of the cultural centre’s achievements since opening in 2012 and the consequent level of support that the facility receives from the Blue Mountains community.”
Highlight exhibitions for the year included the internationally travelling exhibition David Hockney: Words and Pictures, the National Photographic Portrait Prize and Art for the People: Mary-Alice Evatt.
During 2017-18, the Blue Mountains Cultural Centre also made six acquisitions for its fine art collection.
“The collection is growing to be the most significant public collection of artworks inspired by the Blue Mountains region,” Cr Greenhill said.
“The collection currently holds 105 significant artworks, all accessible through the cultural centre’s E-Hive online portal.”
