By Jeremy Cook
The executive board of the Warwick Art Gallery has voiced “deep concerns” over what its members describe as 18 months of inactivity from Southern Downs Regional Council on several critical issues facing the facility.
In a joint statement to media on Tuesday morning, board members criticised the council’s previous attempts to engage with gallery executives over addressing two key issues.
The statement said no progress had been made on a memorandum of understanding, agreed to in 2017, and a concept plan which the council paid $25,000 for in 2022.
“Warwick Art Gallery today voices its deep concerns over the prolonged inactivity and lack of response from the Southern Downs Regional Council regarding several critical issues that have been pending for over 18 months,” the statement said.
“The ongoing lack of effective communication and actionable outcomes from the Southern Downs Regional Council has become a major obstacle to the gallery’s ability to fulfill its mission.”
The board said it hoped by going public with the concerns, that issues could be resolved.
“The Warwick Art Gallery remains committed to its role in the community and is eager to collaborate with the council to resolve these outstanding issues,” the statement said.
Council chief executive Dave Burges defended council’s commitment to the art gallery and said staff were working towards developing a “comprehensive and meaningful Memorandum of Understanding” with the facility over the coming years.
“Council is very supportive of the Warwick Art Gallery and places great value on their role in delivering important cultural and artistic outcomes for the community through exhibitions, workshops and events,” Mr Burges said.
“This commitment is evidenced by council’s provision of more than $200K per year to underpin the operations of the Warwick Art Gallery.”
Mr Burges said the 2022 concept plan had been produced in consultation with the art gallery, though certain components included in the plan were “being refined in scope and cost for consideration by council in upcoming and future budget deliberations”.
Warwick Art Gallery secretary Teilah Mckelvey said there had been countless meetings with the council in previous years, but they had not delivered any outcomes.
“We’ve raised issues multiple times,” she said.
“They [council] paid to have the plan done all the way back in 2022 …, and we’ve had no real firm outcome of what’s going to happen.”
Ms Mckelvey said efforts to have even minor issues resurrected had required “a lot of persistent messaging”.
“We just feel like it’s been constant meetings with no outcomes.”
With the swearing-in of a newly-elected council on Wednesday, Ms Mckelvey said she hoped the art gallery’s issues might receive some attention.
In a statement provided ahead of the swearing-in ceremony, Mr Burges said the council looked forward “to working constructively with the Warwick Art Gallery to overcome any perceived communication issues”.