It may be seen as a little unusual for an art gallery to count a V8 interceptor in its foyer or a real life wrestling ring in its main gallery as being among its major drawcards, but that’s exactly what Rockhampton Museum of Art (RMOA) does, and its tactics have seen great success.
RMOA opened its doors almost three years ago, on 25 February 2022 and, since then, the Museum has become one of Australia’s leading regional galleries. Attendance over its first three years is expected to be around 265,000 visitors as at the anniversary of the official opening.
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A stand-out exhibition at RMOA was Maximum Madness:Art Inspired by Mad Max, which featured a V8 Interceptor replica, and coincided with Rockhampton’s Rockynats car and bike festival in 2024. The exhibition was so well-received by the local community and other galleries that it was redeveloped into a ‘mini’ tour and is currently on display at Caboolture Regional Gallery and will launch at Artspace Mackay in April.
As well as Maximum Madness: Art Inspired by Mad Max, WrestleMANIA was another popular exhibition, with local, national and international artists responding to the theme of pro wrestling in all its spectacle and humour. This exhibition not only included artwork on display, but also displays of live wrestling in the ring by a local wrestling club.
With a total exhibition space of 4700 square metres over six galleries and spaces, along with a variety of multipurpose program rooms, RMOA has been able to attract and curate a variety of exhibitions and activities.
Some highlights of the first few years of operation include: collaborations with Central Queensland artists and arts groups, school students and Indigenous peoples, continual exhibitions of curated selections of pieces from Rockhampton’s nationally significant collection titled Collection Focus, two highly respected art prizes (the Australia-wide Gold Award and Central Queensland region Bayton Award), exhibitions with nationally recognised artists such as Ken Done, Wendy Sharpe, Julie Fragar, D Harding, Luke Roberts, Sally Smart and Richard Bell, along with artist in residence programs being introduced.
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Rockhampton Regional Council spokesperson for Communities, Culture and Heritage, Drew Wickerson says, “RMOA has provided a place not only for people to view, but also to take part in art. It’s a place where ideas have been ignited and conversations begun on a variety of topics.”
He continues, “The attendance has surpassed initial projections, and has increased year by year, so I am very pleased that visitors and residents continue to support RMOA.
“From my perspective, I think the secret to its success has been the variety of activities on offer. For example visitors can see a variety of exhibitions both national and locally curated. Parents can take children to the school holiday activities or Darumbal Storytime. And, on top of that, local artists can develop their art through artist in residence and other programs,” Wickerson says.
RMOA is owned and operated by Rockhampton Region Council.
For more information on Rockhampton Museum of Art.