A formal offer of $1 million has been made to the Tweed River Art Gallery by the Trustees of the Margaret Olley Art Trust to establish the Margaret Olley Centre as an extension to the gallery.
This purpose-built centre will be an extension on the southern end (carpark end) of the Gallery. A Stage 3 was always planned for the gallery, but the new centre will become stage three.
It will honour the express wish of the late Lismore-born artist Margaret Olley that her artist’s studio and elements of her home and collections be re-created in a suitable venue.
The Margaret Olley Art Centre at Tweed River Art Gallery will be the repository of a large number of the artist’s own works, including works in progress, ephemera and correspondence, currently in the possession of the Margaret Olley Estate, according to Gallery Director Susi Muddiman.
“It is an incredible privilege for the gallery to be chosen for this honour,” she said.
“This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for the gallery. Margaret’s childhood years spent in the Tweed also add poignancy to the centre. It is very exciting news and I know the centre will be strongly supported by our visitors.
“I look forward to working with the Trust and Council officers to realise Margaret’s vision. The Margaret Olley Centre will include a re-creation of Miss Olley’s studio, an exhibition space and an education centre.
“It will be an honour for the gallery to show Margaret’s exceptional paintings to visitors from far and wide. The centre will see Margaret remembered as a fine artist, as well as a generous philantropist to the arts,” Miss Muddiman said.
“The centre will be a natural extension to the gallery’s existing award-winning built environment.”
Mr Philip Bacon AM, Trustee of the Margaret Olley Art Trust, added: “Margaret Olley’s interest in regional galleries, and the Tweed River Art Gallery in particular, makes this project especially attractive to the Trustees.”
Tweed Mayor Councillor Barry Longland, said, “This generous gift from the Margaret Olley Art Trust is an indication of the reputation of our first-rate regional gallery. The recent success of the 2011 Archibald Prize, with its winning portrait of Margaret Olley attracting thousands of visitors from outside the region, points to the high regard held by the public for one of Australia’s most admired artists.
“I’m sure this honour comes in no small part through the deep connections and strong relationships our Gallery Director, Susi Muddiman, has developed in the art world, as much as the strength of the Tweed River Art Gallery as a venue and the Tweed’s link to Margaret Olley’s childhood.
Tweed Shire Council General Manager Mike Rayner said, “Having the gallery chosen as the recipient of such generous benefaction points to the standing of our premier cultural facility. The addition of the Margaret Olley Centre will highlight the shire’s cultural programs, become a major tourist attraction and act as an economic driver for the region.”