FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Why do we need an Art Museum?

The Shire of Nillumbik is widely known and respected for the arts, with its diverse legacy of artists and artist communities—from Montsalvat, Dunmoochin and Baldessin Studio, and to artists such as Archibald winning painters Clifton Pugh and Peter Wegner, feminist photographer Sue Ford, printmaker and sculptor George Baldessin, Heidelberg School painter Walter Withers, sculptor Deborah Halpern, and many more inspiring artists who share our local stories through a diverse range of art forms.

The Nillumbik Shire Council’s art collection consists of over 500 works by artists of national and international standing. These artworks are rarely displayed, and are stored offsite in commercial storage outside of Nillumbik, costing Nillumbik Shire Council thousands of dollars a year to store the entire collection, and $60 for a person just to view an artwork. Many artworks are never publicly displayed due to a lack of a suitable venue in which to suitably show these artworks.

Unfortunately, Nillumbik is one of the few Victorian Councils without a dedicated, industry-standard gallery to exhibit any of these artworks.

As a result, a significant amount of Nillumbik’s artistic heritage is not being experienced or shared, and there are limited opportunities for Nillumbik’s emerging, mid-career and established artists to professionally exhibit their artworks in the local area. By failing to invest in an industry-standard venue to showcase our regions artistic heritage, there are no other galleries which will offer touring exhibitions of their artworks to be presented in Nillumbik. This results in missed cultural and economic opportunities for artists and audiences from within Nillumbik and beyond.

“50% of Victorians are visiting a museum or gallery at least a couple of times a year”

Creative Victoria, Audience Outlook Monitor, 2023

Why 895 Main Road Eltham?

The Nillumbik Art Museum (NAM) committee firmly believes in the unique qualities of the community owned site at 895 Main Road, Eltham as being the ideal location to establish the Nillumbik Art Museum, which can celebrate, support and showcase the significant artistic heritage of Nillumbik, while offering unique creative experiences for audiences from beyond Nillumbik.

The location and size of 895 Main Road, Eltham is uniquely suited to establish the Nillumbik Art Museum, and this was confirmed by Nillumbik Council’s 2019 Nillumbik Regional Art Gallery Feasibility Study Report, which assessed in detail a range of sites across Nillumbik, and the assessors of this report identified that 895 Main Road, Eltham was the most highly rated site by a large margin. These findings were supported by a significant representation of Nillumbik’s artists and art communities. The location and size of 895 Main Road, Eltham would allow NAM to provide facilities that no other existing venue in Nillumbik can offer, while at the same time presenting an artistic program that complements the offerings of Montsalvat, Baldessin Studio, Dunmoochin, and other important artistic spaces throughout the Shire.

The accessibility of 895 Main Road, Eltham is excellent: having close access to a train line and seven bus routes, multiple trails for walking and bicycles, extensive surrounding parkland, as well as close proximity to the Eltham Town Centre, and the culturally significant Eltham Library, the historic Trestle Bridge and Shillinglaw Cottage.

895 Main Road, Eltham is a historically important site for the community of Nillumbik. It was formerly the site of the Eltham Library and the Shire of Eltham Offices, and before that, it was home to Shillinglaw Cottage, which was saved and relocated to its current position as a result of extensive community action. The Eltham District Historical Society states on their website:

“The three Mediterranean Cypress trees (Shillinglaw trees), which are well over 100 years old, still standing proudly in front of the adjoining former Shire of Eltham Office site, are of local heritage significance. These trees represent a navigational beacon between the past, present and future landscape and history of the district and are covered by a heritage overlay. The Society is determined that they should be protected; they should not be disturbed by relocation and that the land they reside upon should also remain in community hands, not private ownership.”

“The site that is assessed as most suitable and therefore the preferred site for a Regional Gallery is 895 Main Road, Eltham”

Nillumbik Council, Nillumbik Regional Art Gallery Feasibility Study Report, 2019

Why not have an Art Museum at Montsalvat?

We love Montsalvat and its beautiful historic buildings, picturesque grounds and its inspiring community, but the existing spaces at Montsalvat are not built to modern day industry standards, and are unlikely to be retrofitted to meet the heating, cooling and humidity requirements that are required to professionally exhibit and store artworks in new art museum. Montsalvat unfortunately has limited land available to build a new venue that can meet the modern requirements of an art museum.

Montsalvat is not easily accessible by public transport: having only one nearby bus route running in one direction, or requiring a forty-minute walk from the Eltham Train Station. Montsalvat has limited car parking facilities, and can only be accessed via a series of narrow residential streets, and any expansion of Montsalvat is likely to negatively impact these residential streets.

On the other hand, 895 Main Road, Eltham has access to multiple public transport options, including one train line and seven bus routes within a five-minute walk. The site of 895 Main Road, Eltham is sufficiently large enough to accommodate a new multipurpose art museum and provide ample parking within the building. These are just some of the reasons why the Nillumbik Council’s Nillumbik Regional Art Gallery Feasibility Study Report rated the site at 895 Main Road, Eltham as twice as suitable for a new art museum when compared to Montsalvat.

“The first year (2015/2016) forecast impact of the Murray Art Museum Albury was a $9.66M boost to the visitor economy, growing to $12.2M after five years. In 2015/2016, given the results achieved since reopening, the actual combined economic impact of the facility in its first year of operation was estimated in excess of $20M.”

Nillumbik Council, Nillumbik Regional Art Gallery Feasibility Study Report, 2019

Why not adapt an existing space: extending the Eltham Community and Reception Centre?

The vacant land alongside the Eltham Community and Reception Centre is smaller in size than 895 Main Road, Eltham, and therefore limits the functions and sustainable operations of an industry-standard Museum. In order for NAM to be a venue that is relevant to the needs of the arts community and attract broad visitation for visitors from within and beyond Nillumbik, it needs to be a venue built with multiple industry-standard climate-controlled exhibition and storage spaces, have studio spaces for artists to create and contribute to the Museum’s arts programming, a seated multipurpose arts space, an education space for visiting school groups, archival facilities to restore and maintain artworks, and be operated to professional standards. These are the core functions of most professional art museums and art galleries throughout Australia. Unfortunately there is not sufficient space at the Eltham Community and Reception Centre site to accommodate all of these needs.

Sharing the use of the existing ‘Walter Withers Gallery’ space within the Eltham Community and Reception Centre is not a viable solution either, as the majority of proposed exhibitions would need to run for weeks at a time, occasionally even longer, and this would clash with the existing booking needs of these spaces. The ‘Walter Withers Gallery’ space is not built to industry-standard exhibition requirements, and therefore severely limits the types of artworks that can be shown in this space.

And according to the SES Eltham Local Flood Guide, the Eltham Community and Reception Centre site is particularly close to the zone of a ‘Major Flood’ event, which would pose an unacceptable risk to the artworks and their storage, and may significantly increase insurance premiums. As for the possibility of this happening, the nearby pedestrian bridges crossing the Diamond Creek were severely damaged in a recent ‘Minor Flood’ event, and further afield, the Lismore Regional Art Gallery has already lost much of their artistic heritage due to multiple recent “once-in-a-100-year” floods.

On the other hand, an industry-standard Nillumbik Art Museum built at 895 Main Road, Eltham does not have any of the above issues.

Hosting the 2021 Archibald Prize at Gippsland Art Gallery demonstrated that most visitors to the blockbuster exhibition came from outside the local shire, contributing approximately $4.8 million to the local economy. According to Director, Simon Gregg, the event “prompted the Wellington Shire to integrate ‘The Blockbuster’ into its 2021-25 Council Plan.”

Josephine Moulton - Sanctuary Inc : ‘Creative Industry Future Proofing Regions’

Why not adapt an existing space: extending the Diamond Creek Community Centre?

The Diamond Creek Community Centre is a smaller site, and as a result, it would offer limited opportunities for the Nillumbik Shire Council’s art collection to be displayed, and offer limited opportunities for local artists to create and exhibit their artworks in a professional, industry-standard venue. The smaller size of the Diamond Creek Community Centre site means that it is unlikely to offer the space required for industry-standard storage for the Nillumbik Shire Council’s art collection, which would mean that Nillumbik Shire Council would continue paying a commercial company thousands of dollars a year to store the entire collection, and $60 for a person just to view an artwork.

The site is also unlikely to be big enough to provide any industry-standard spaces for any touring exhibitions from other galleries, and would therefore have little positive impact on nearby businesses and the broader tourist economy.

Another significant concern with the Diamond Creek Community Centre site is that the SES Diamond Creek Flood Guide clearly states that the site is located within an area affected by a major flood event. As for the likelihood of this happening, a major flood event occurred quite recently, and the cover image of the Diamond Creek SES Flood Guide clearly shows the site in question being flooded. Risking our community’s invaluable artistic heritage to flood damage is a significant concern, and would likely lead to higher insurance rates, and the irreparable loss of our artistic heritage is a real threat: the Lismore Regional gallery have recently lost a significant portion of their art collection due to multiple “once-in-a-100-year” floods.

On the other hand, an industry-standard Nillumbik Art Museum built at 895 Main Road, Eltham does not have any of the above issues.

“The National Arts Participation Survey highlight the importance of arts and creativity to child development, education, local businesses and skills for the future... Creative skills have been integral to the fast-growing industries in Australia over the past decade and prior to COVID-19, the creative economy was growing at a rate nearly twice that of the Australian workforce.”

Cunningham and McCutcheon 2018, ‘The Creative Economy in Australia: Cultural production, creative services, income.’

Why not adapt an existing space: extending the Edendale Farm Homestead?

The Edendale Community Farm Homestead is an old building with limited options of being retrofitted to meet professional industry standards that are required by an arts venue. The site is also limited in size, and as a result, it would offer limited opportunities for the Nillumbik Shire Council’s art collection to be displayed, and offer limited opportunities for local artists to create and exhibit their artworks in a professional, industry-standard venue. The smaller size of the Edendale Community Farm Homestead site means that it is unlikely to offer the space required for industry-standard storage of the Nillumbik Shire Council’s art collection, which would mean that Nillumbik Shire Council would continue paying a commercial company thousands of dollars a year to store the entire collection, and $60 for a person just to view an artwork.

The site is also unlikely to be big enough to provide any industry-standard spaces for any touring exhibitions from other galleries, and would therefore have little positive impact on nearby businesses and the broader tourist economy.

The Edendale Community Farm Homestead site is less accessible, with only two bus routes, and being more than a 30 minute walk from the Eltham Train Station. There are also significant parking concerns, as the onsite carparks are often full with the existing Edendale Community Farm programs. Access to the site during a major flood event could potentially be a significant concern, as according to the SES Flood Guide for Eltham, it clearly states that the site would be surrounded within an area affected by a major flood event.

On the other hand, an industry-standard Nillumbik Art Museum built at 895 Main Road, Eltham does not have any of the above issues.

“In 2021/2022, the creative economy employed 322,242 people via 47,993 businesses, which contributed $38.5 billion to the Victorian economy, representing 7.4% of the total Victorian economy.”

Creative Victoria – Victoria's Creative Economy 2021/2022

Who will pay to build the Nillumbik Art Museum?

It is likely that the Nillumbik Art Museum will require a variety of funding sources: including Federal Government, State Government, Local Council and private philanthropy.

The Nillumbik Art Museum Committee have already received an in-principal commitment of one million dollars from a single donor, on the condition that the art museum is built at 895 Main Road Eltham, and is a venue built to industry standards.

“Regional arts and cultural facilities create an additional 8.5 jobs outside the cultural sector across the region for every 10 full time positions within the cultural sector.”

Museums & Galleries NSW, ‘Value Added! The social and economic contribution of cultural facilities in Central NSW’

Why call it an Art Museum and not an Art Gallery?

While some people use the words ‘art museum’ and ‘art gallery’ to describe the same type of space, the phrase ‘art gallery’ is also used to describe businesses whose primary purpose is displaying art that is for sale, and this is not the primary purpose of an art museum. As stated on Wikipedia, most art museums have permanent artwork collections that can be viewed but not purchased, as well as artwork storage facilities, artwork conservation facilities, education programs, art creation spaces, as well as a store where some items can be purchased.

Meanwhile, the majority of art galleries around the world are commercial galleries, and they primarily exist to exhibit art that is for sale, and do not serve the other functions that art museums deliver to their communities.

“Cultural and creative activity contributed approximately $111 billion to the Australian economy (6.4% of GDP in 2016–17), and employed more than 800,000 people (8.1% of the total workforce)”

A New Approach, ‘Economy And Employment: Transformative Impacts Of Arts, Culture And Creativity’

Is there a design for the Nillumbik Art Museum?

Architect and NAM Committee member Barry Pearce has developed an initial design, which gives an example of what could exist on the site of 895 Main Road, Eltham, and offers possible configurations of the building’s internal spaces and functions, which are based on researching the sizes and functions of more than thirty industry-standard art museums and galleries across Australia.

These designs are to be considered as initial proposals that are open to change, and have been created without access to soil reports or an engineer’s survey.

“73% of Australians agree that ‘the arts should be an important part of education.”

Creative Australia, ‘National Arts Participation Survey’, 2020

What community consultation has taken place?

Build a public museum or creative space that could showcase all types of art, but also be a space that people can make art in and brings creative people together. Make the creativity more visible and accessible to all.

Maziarz, D. and Johnson, N. (2021, p8), ‘Artopia Report, 2021’

Several participants discussed the lack of a major gallery or art centre in Nillumbik and a desire to have this in the community... Nillumbik needs to broaden the scope of the way the community engages in Art.

Bromley & Mooney (2021, p.4), ‘Artopia Report, 2021’

Open Studios is a great opportunity for some artists, but there are a lot of artists that live and work in Nillumbik and there is no space to show their work.

Bromley & Mooney (2021,p.5-6), ‘Artopia Report, 2021’

Ensure Eltham’s Old Shire Office Site responds to community requests. Preferably an arts centre to complement the library complex - great architecture!

Nillumbik Shire Council: ‘Pop Up Outcomes : Arts and Culture Strategy Consultation’, 2021

My main concern is Nillumbik is not using its heritage to build a future, it is rather letting its past fade and not creating a vibrant forward looking arts scene.

Nillumbik Shire Council :‘Participate Nillumbik Arts and Culture Online Survey’, 2021

Artists during the consultations have expressed frustration at having asked for this exhibition space over a number of years and through numerous consultations with no resulting communication or action.

Nillumbik Council : ‘What We Know Arts and Culture Strategy 2022–26 Community Consultation’

The artists don’t know why the regional gallery hasn’t been actioned. There needs to be better communication from Council on this issue.

Grant, A (2021, p20) : ‘Arts & Culture FocusGroup Consultation Report’

They [the artists] think we’re [Council] not listening to them, we’re not taking what they say seriously, and I feel (frustrated) asking them again what they want, when we already know what they want; we know they want a space and we’ve known that for years and yet there’s still no space.

Grant, A. (2021, p20) : ‘Arts & Culture Focus Group Consultation Report’

Nillumbik Council’s ‘What We Know : Arts and Culture Strategy 2022–26 Community Consultation Summary Report’ is a detailed analysis of the findings and data from 16 consultation documents, from 9 engagements, and representing 2,216 contributing voices. Consultations were undertaken across a broad range of the Nillumbik community. The majority of the consultation documents encompass the voices of the general Nillumbik community; most of whom are audiences and enthusiasts of the arts. Care has been taken to ensure that the voices of Nillumbik’s artists are well represented, particularly through the focus group discussions: ‘Artopia Report’ and in the ‘Arts Recovery Report’. Below are a selection of quotes from the many voices who want and need an industry-standard art venue in Nillumbik.

“The domestic day trip market is the core tourist market for most museums and art galleries in regional Victoria and expected to be the major tourism growth market for a potential new art museum.”

Simon McArthur and Associates, ‘Supporting a Business Case for a new art museum in Shepparton.”

Will this art museum meet industry standards?

“We know arts, culture and creativity enrich our lives, unite our communities, and ignite our economies. The Australian public, policy makers, industry leaders, business, philanthropists and creators all have a stake in discussing what and how we want public investment in arts and culture to benefit our communities.”

A New Approach (ANA) CEO Kate Fielding, ‘Investing in arts, culture and creativity.’

How can I find out more about this intiative?

We have compiled a list of ways you can support us here. And if you have any questions, please contact us here.