Community Consultation Outcomes

Thanks for your patience!

No doubt you’ll recall that we came to you mid-last year to ask about what you want from Noosa Regional Gallery into the future. Community opinion was sought via six public workshops and through Council’s on-line community engagement portal, Your Say Noosa. This was part of a larger piece of work we’ve been undertaking with Outside the Square Creative Consulting (OTSCC) in order to develop a vision and make informed decisions about what Noosa Regional Gallery could do and be in the years to come.

We’ve been working away in the background with OTSCC over the intervening months, pulling together input from the community, together with information gathered through key stakeholder meetings. OTSCC has synthesised this with relevant Noosa Council plans, strategies and guiding documents and this continues to be worked through with Noosa’s Councillors to ensure any decisions about next steps are robust and fully informed.

Now it’s time to share with you a summary of what you told us.

Noosa Regional Gallery - Discussion Paper and Future Needs and Options survey

Community Consultation Outcomes, June 2022

In 2020 Noosa Council engaged OTSCC to undertake Stage 1 of a Pre-Feasibility Study, resulting in an Assessment of Service Requirement for Noosa Regional Gallery. This assessment, along with earlier reviews of the existing Noosa Regional Gallery, found that it no longer meets the necessary standards or community expectations of a contemporary gallery. Council therefore set about exploring the feasibility of a number of options to either build a new Noosa Regional Gallery or expand or upgrade the existing Gallery. As part of this Stage 2 process, Council again engaged OTSCC to consult a range of stakeholders, including listening to the community's views about this important cultural asset.

OTSCC undertook a series of consultation activities in Noosa on June 7-8, holding four Community Conversations – in Pomona, Cooroy, Noosaville and at Noosa Regional Gallery in Tewantin – and two facilitated Community Summits – a morning session at the Ivory Palms Resort, Noosaville and a well-attended evening session at the Land and Sea Brewery, Noosaville.

Those who attended were passionate, informed, vocal and enthusiastic, typically individuals who are already engaged with Noosa Regional Gallery and eager to contribute to its vision and future development.

Conversations began with ‘blue sky thinking’ that aimed to identify and articulate the community’s big dreams and aspirations for Noosa Regional Gallery. Stimulated by discussion about favourite art museums and galleries, both in Australia and around the world, as well as memorable art experiences, this fed into responses to three primary questions:

• What are the critical considerations for the gallery site?
• What are critical considerations for the gallery design and construction?
• What do you want to see/do at the gallery and therefore, what facilities does it need?

While participant’s responses were diverse and reflected personal perspectives and experience, clear themes emerged. These themes were consistent with the responses received to the online survey. The Your Say Noosa platform received 64 detailed written submissions and survey responses. The outcomes from this range of community engagement are summarised below.

Gallery Site

Critical considerations for the gallery site fell into two strong themes: setting and accessibility.

It was consistently noted that the gallery should be in a setting that celebrates and highlights Noosa’s distinctive natural environment. The importance of proximity to water (either the ocean or the river), an iconic feature of the area, was emphasised, along with the need for beautiful vistas of water and the surrounding landscape. Noosa’s status as a UNESCO-recognised biosphere, and the diversity and beauty of the region, was identified as a unique feature which already attracts national and international visitors, and the gallery should capitalise on this so that its setting, as much as its building, programs and other offerings, is a destination for locals and tourists alike.

There was significant emphasis on site accessibility. A site that can be accessed by various modes of transport – foot, bike, ferry, bus, car etc. – with all of the infrastructure necessary to make sure they operate efficiently, such as foot and bike paths, bike parking, nearby ferry and bus stops, and adequate carparking. A site that is not too remote from a major centre and which is co-located with other services and facilities was noted as being desirable, as was a site that is visible, easily identified and found.

The possibility of the gallery comprising a series of facilities in various locations across the shire was raised by a number of participants. Advantages of this concept include connecting the shire from the coast to the hinterland, spreading the traffic and tourist load, and sharing the economic benefit of the associated cultural tourism. In addition, facilities can be situated in locations that best suit the requirements of the activities carried out there. An example suggested was an artist in residence facility (residence and workshop) in the Botanic Gardens.

Gallery Design and Construction

The four themes that emerged as critical considerations for the design and construction of the gallery were excellence, connection to environment, eco-friendly and sustainable, and a building that incorporates Kabi Kabi history and culture.

Participants advocated for a building that is world class, a work of art in itself and ‘something to be proud of’. They spoke of it being distinctive, innovative and inspirational – an iconic, ‘must see’ destination for locals and visitors alike. There was a strong feeling that the building should be welcoming (in terms of its design, as well as its front of house staff) and that arriving at the gallery should be an experience, with arrival at Hobart’s Museum of Old and New Art (MONA) by ferry being cited as an excellent example of this.

It was noted that the building should reflect Noosa’s unique identity, its history, its culture and its style, especially its environment and the biosphere. The building should be embedded in the landscape, with a strong connection created between the indoors and the outdoors.

The building should be flexible in its design, able to accommodate the varied and changing requirements of a contemporary gallery, with spaces that don’t limit what can be displayed. The design should incorporate room to grow and, with sustainability in mind, be planned to be fit for purpose for decades to come. It should use natural, sustainable materials, be eco-friendly and designed to withstand floods and other natural disasters.

Acknowledgement of Kabi Kabi as the traditional owners was highlighted, along with the gallery as a place where First Nations people are visible and welcome. The building should be informed by Kabi Kabi history and culture, incorporating this into its design, with the possibility of contributions from Kabi Kabi artists.

Activities and Facilities

Enthusiastic discussion about what community members want to do at the gallery, and the spaces and facilities required to enable this, focussed on what was coined ‘edu-tainment’, incorporating both art-related activities and events (exhibitions, talks, workshops etc.) and socialising and entertainment. It was noted that the gallery should contain a range of facilities and offer a rich and varied program for visitors of all ages and backgrounds, that would encourage them to spend the whole day on site.

Exhibition spaces

A series of exhibition spaces that are flexible and able to accommodate a wide range of exhibitions – including large-scale blockbuster shows – in a program that is innovative, ambitious and diverse, and features the best of local, national and international art. The spaces should not limit the type of art that can be displayed, offering galleries with windows, galleries without windows/blackout spaces, high ceilings, load bearing floors, good acoustics, as well as power and data for technology-based art.

Participants noted that Noosa Shire includes a variety of visual arts venues and programs and that Noosa Regional Gallery is part of a broader creative arts ecology in the region. The value of collaborating with other organisations to establish a diverse but also, where appropriate, interconnected program of arts and cultural experiences offering rich opportunities for the community and visitors to the region was highlighted. The idea of all relevant venues responding to a particular theme in their programs/activities once every year was suggested as one way of doing this.

Community space

The series of exhibition spaces should include a dedicated gallery for the display of local art, whether that is the art of contemporary artists working in the shire or historical art that speaks to the region’s past and identity. This was noted as particularly important for visitors to Noosa who want to learn about the area. In this context, a number of participants raised the prospect of developing a permanent collection which has a unique focus (regional or environmental, for example) which will attract interstate and international visitors.

Kabi Kabi space

The importance of collaboration with the Kabi Kabi and their close involvement in the development and programming of the gallery was raised repeatedly. In the context of gallery facilities, this prompted several possibilities: a dedicated Kabi Kabi gallery for the exhibition of historical artefacts and contemporary art; a keeping place for Kabi Kabi objects that is accessible to community and welcoming; a Kabi Kabi meeting place; or a combination of the three.

Sculpture Park/Outdoor event space

A multi-use outdoor area which incorporates the display of permanent and/or ephemeral sculpture in a landscaped/natural setting. An undercover area could be used for workshop/masterclass activities, openings and other events such as markets and live performances. It might also be linked to a café/restaurant outdoor seating area.

Workshop spaces

A flexible space or series of spaces for art workshops and masterclasses separate from the exhibition galleries, which are fully equipped (running water, clean-up areas etc.) with adequate storage for equipment and materials.

Lecture/Seminar space

A space where visitors and students can gather for a talk, lecture, demonstration or performance.

Art Reference Lounge/Library

A dedicated lounge/library with a selection of art reference books and journals.

Artist Residency facilities

The concept of an artist in residence program was very popular and raised repeatedly. It requires a small residence and a flexible studio space that will cater to a variety of creative practices. These facilities could be attached to the gallery, or nearby within the gallery’s grounds, but they would also lend themselves to being a satellite offshoot in a different location.

Storage facilities

Adequate, functional storage with room to grow.

Gallery Shop

A shop that stocks a broad range of quality products was highlighted as being very important to a positive visitor experience. Community members noted that they want to be able to buy something to take home and remember the experience by, emphasising that items made by local artists and artisans in particular, would appeal to locals and visitors alike. It was also suggested that this concept could be expanded by establishing a monthly or seasonal outdoor art and design market to showcase local creativity and support local makers.

Food and Beverage offering

The importance of a quality food and beverage offering – café, restaurant and bar or a combination thereof – was a strong and consistent theme. The food should celebrate local produce and First Nations cuisine. Summit participants also expressed a very clear desire for these venues – and the gallery – to be open after hours.

Next Steps

The outcomes of this community consultation are being brought together with input from other stakeholders who have also been consulted. This information will inform a report for Council’s consideration which will include:

• Research and consultation findings overview

• Noosa Regional Gallery vision, rationale and benefits

• Future Noosa Regional Gallery options analysis

• Component schedule

• Conceptual layout/functional diagrams

• Capital cost plan

• Business/operational model review and analysis

• Development options analysis

• Economic impact assessment

• Recommendations

Thanks again for your input.