Page 238 - Week 01 - Thursday, 16 February 2006
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Leave granted.
MR STANHOPE: As members may be aware, the Cultural Facilities Corporation delivers a range of arts and cultural programs and services for access by the ACT community at a number of venues that the corporation manages. These venues are the Canberra Theatre, the Playhouse, Canberra Museum and Gallery, the Nolan Gallery, Lanyon Homestead, Calthorpe’s House and Mugga Mugga. The corporation also has responsibility for developing Civic Square as a cultural precinct.
Under the Cultural Facilities Corporation Act, the Cultural Facilities Corporation is required to provide quarterly reports on its activities and to table these reports in the Assembly. I am now pleased to say the corporation has completed its report for the first quarter of 2005-06, being the period July to September. From the first quarter report members will see that the corporation delivered a diverse range of programs and activities for the benefit of the ACT community from its theatres, galleries and historical places.
I draw attention to a number of key highlights from the Cultural Facility Corporation’s report. Significantly, over 95,000 people attended the corporation’s facilities during the quarter; 59,400 people attended theatre productions at the Canberra Theatre and Playhouse; 22,800 visited Lanyon, Calthorpe’s House and Mugga; and 13,000 people visited the Canberra Museum and Gallery and the Nolan Gallery. The corporation not only entertained large numbers of people but also gained well-deserved recognition for its activities.
Notably, in September, the Canberra Museum and Gallery staff received an AIDS Action Council annual general meeting award. The award recognises volunteers, members of the community and organisations who, during the past 12 months, assisted in advancing the services or educational purposes of the council. The award also recognised the management and staff of the Canberra Museum and Gallery for their professionalism, dedication, care and attention to detail in curating the exhibition Reflections: 20 years of HIV/AIDS activism and education. In addition, the partnership between the Canberra Theatre Centre and the Royal Blind Society was acknowledged during the quarter with a 2005 Prime Minister’s Award for Excellence in Community Business Partnerships. The partnership involves the provision of high quality audio services to people that are visually impaired.
The corporation also delivers programs for our young citizens. The Canberra Museum and Gallery’s education program for young children What do artists make? continued to attract large audiences with over 350 young children participating in the program during the quarter. The program introduces children to artworks in a gallery setting, engendering an understanding and appreciation of arts and culture. The Nolan Gallery’s outreach education program Tall tales continues to be well received by local preschools, with over 340 children participating in the program throughout the quarter. Inspired by the works of Sidney Nolan, children explore painting and drawing techniques.
The diversity of the corporation’s programs is also highlighted by events such as the Lanyon Woolfest, held at Lanyon Homestead. Over 700 people visited Lanyon and participated in activities that focused on the wool industry, including demonstrations by
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