Media Release 17 March 2006 2 pages

New vision for Christchurch Art Gallery

The Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetu is to take a key leadership role in making Worcester Boulevard/Cultural Precinct the most visited cultural tourism site in New Zealand as part of its new vision for the future.

In developing a new direction for the Gallery, Christchurch Mayor Garry Moore and the Council’s Strong Communities Portfolio Group have embraced the new vision which will guide the Gallery through the Paradigm Shift.

“The Christchurch Art Gallery is ideally placed to take a key leadership role in the Cultural Precinct,” says Stephen McArthur, General Manager, Community Services, Christchurch City Council.

“The Gallery is an iconic building, is strategically located at the heart of the Cultural Precinct and through its programme invites visitors to live the Precinct’s core value of expanding cultural horizons and enriching senses.”

He said Cultural Precinct partners had welcomed the Gallery’s new vision and supported its key leadership role. “Promotion of the Cultural Precinct brand has far reaching positive benefits for all those involved.”

The Gallery’s new vision will also celebrate the City’s creative spirit – “expanding the public’s perception of art as we commit to new audiences by building a new, stimulating visitor experience and develop the brand,” Mr McArthur said.

Throughout March, stakeholder meetings are being held to get input and ideas to help create the dynamic new programme of exhibitions and events to reinforce the vision and deliver a new and enlarged audience.

“We are looking forward to feedback from our key stakeholders on the vision and their ideas to chart the direction for the Gallery over the next five years that focuses on our key audiences the families/whanau of Christchurch, international visitors, domestic visitors, educational groups and special audiences.

“This is an exciting time for the Gallery as we build on the first three years of success of our new facility and deliver the Paradigm Shift through a programme that has the Christchurch Art Gallery as a must-see on the itinerary of every visitor to the City, attracting more than 400,000 visitors a year by 2009-10.”

The Gallery’s Paradigm Shift implementation plan is expected to be completed by the end of June.

ENDS

Christchurch Art Gallery Vision

The Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetu will take a key leadership role in making Christchurch’s Cultural Precinct the most visited cultural tourism site in New Zealand.

We are ideally placed to take this lead with our iconic building, strategic location at the heart of the Cultural Precinct and our programmes inviting visitors to live the Precinct’s core values of expanding cultural horizons and enriching senses.

We want to grow the public’s perception of art as we commit to new audiences by building a new, stimulating visitor experience and develop the brand.

We recognise our key audiences are the families/whanau of Christchurch, international visitors to our City, domestic visitors, educational groups and special audiences.

The Gallery strives to connect people with art – emotionally and intellectually. We celebrate art and the creative spirit. We know where we stand and we have global reach.

We educate, inspire discovery and preserve the legacy of artistic achievement for the people of Canterbury and New Zealand through collecting, presenting, interpreting and conserving quality works of art.

We want to be recognised locally, nationally and internationally as innovative, with quality collections and programmes, and for the enjoyment and appreciation of art it brings all its audiences. We will set a standard of excellence in all our endeavours.

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