Rockhampton Museum of Art officially opens and spotlights launch commission

The new $36.5 million Rockhampton Museum of Art has officially opened with the new gallery precinct (six times the size of the previous building) featuring permanent and touring gallery exhibition spaces to showcase the work of leading contemporary Australian artists, as well as the gallery’s extensive holding of modern Australian art; education spaces; community recreation areas, retail and a restaurant. 

The museum will join a string of renowned galleries and museums in Queensland like QAGOMA and HOTA, further solidifying the region's cultural resurgence.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, Arts Minister Leeanne Enoch, Member for Rockhampton Barry O’Rourke and Member for Keppel Brittany Lauga joined the Mayor and other dignitaries yesterday to tour the new Rockhampton Museum of Art.

Premier Palaszczuk noted “now the city has a new multi-million dollar three-storey world-class venue to host these national treasures from the modernism and contemporary period and other exciting exhibitions as well.

“The design also puts the museum on par with some of our country’s most respected art galleries and I want to congratulate Rockhampton Regional Council for leading the project’s design and construction which powered on through COVID supporting 165 local construction jobs.

“With international borders now open and our tourism recovery in full swing, the new Rockhampton Museum of Art will be top of the list for the region’s cultural tourism experiences.”

The Rockhampton Museum of Art opens with three outstanding exhibitions, 2022 Gold Award, Here We Meet and Welcome Home which presents Rockhampton’s acclaimed collection of art works in their new home.

Emphasising First Nations culture and the museum’s location on Darumbal Country, RMOA has commissioned D. Harding to complete a major artwork snaking along the gallery wall (pictured top). With a strong family presence in Rockhampton and a personal connection to the region spanning decades, D Harding’s invitation to undertake the commission is a reflection of this deep connection.

Titled Wall Composition on Darumbal, the work draws on the Museum’s location and proximity to significant geographic markers, seeking to continue conversations about Indigenous Australian culture and heritage across the local Rockhampton community and beyond.

D. Harding advises “The Tunuba is the foundation of the work, both visually and thematically. It has been central to my conversations with the local elderhood in Central Queensland and also the team here at Rockhampton Museum of Art when discussing what themes might be relevant to explore in this work.

“I wanted this work to prioritise local stories, highlighting and building visual literacy around our Central Queensland artforms among the region’s Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander and South Sea communities. My hope is that it inspires people to connect with museum systems, reminding them that contemporary art and museums are for them too.”

Accessible to Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal peoples, the work will also serve as an educational tool driving cultural awareness, uniting the community in a sensory experience of Darumbal Country. An engaging visual, cultural and educational resource that will endure long after the Museum’s launch, the work truly belongs to Rockhampton Museum of Art and the Rockhampton community.

Rockhampton Regional Council Mayor Tony Williams said it was time to start a new chapter in the region’s arts and cultural story and added “If art decorates space, then stories decorate time and the story of the Rockhampton Museum of Art is one that will be told for decades to come.

“The Museum of Art is more than just an art gallery. It is a new home for our community. It will be a place where children will learn about First Nations history and where adults will learn new skills in our various classes.”

Funding for the total Rockhampton Museum of Art project was provided by all three levels of government including $15 million from the Queensland Government (including $2 million for the business case), $13.475 million from the Rockhampton Regional Council and $10 million from the Federal Government.