Benalla Regional Art Gallery Venue and Amenity Improvements
The Benalla Art Gallery is located in the heart of Victoria’s bushranger country and is home to one of the state’s most diverse regional art collections. It attracts about 90,000 visitors a year, making it one of the most visited galleries in regional Victoria.
It is a striking modernist building, but having been built in the 1970s, much of its environmental control system no longer meets expected standards which puts the collection and the gallery’s exhibitions program at risk. A $436,000 grant from RDV's Infrastructure Development Fund to the Benalla Rural City Council will enable the $686,000 upgrade of the gallery, creating 15 new jobs and generating more tourism dollars for local businesses via major art exhibitions.
This new funding will improve the building in multiple ways including:
- installation of a new climate control system
- energy and water saving initiatives
- re-use of water and solar power
- air locks that improve the gallery’s climate.
The development will also provide flow-on benefits to nearby traders by increasing patronage and use of the venue, and add cultural value for visitors, patrons and residents.
