Regional council taps Melbourne School of Design for new gallery project

Southern Grampians Shire Council in Victoria's Western District has signed a partnership agreement with Melbourne School of Design, which will advise the council on its New Hamilton Gallery project.

In November 2022, the council endorsed plans to create an "iconic," nationally significant new gallery building on Brown Street in the centre of Hamilton: the site of the existing Hamilton Gallery.

The University of Melbourne's Rory Hyde, Alan Pert, Dan Hill and Melinda Heron will be the key advisers to assist the council in developing a design brief and tender for the project.

"We see this project as an opportunity for Hamilton to be a national leader in regional art galleries where [the] council will have the chance to create something which is truly exciting, inclusive and ambitious," Hyde said.

The existing gallery was built 60 years ago and has reached capacity; more than 90 percent of its collection is in permanent storage. The aging building is no longer fit for purpose due to inadequate climate controls and mounting maintenance costs.

The council is seeking a new building with appropriately sized exhibition spaces, current museum-standard temperature and humidity controls, and enhanced visitor services to attract tourists to the town.

Denton Corker Marshall completed a masterplan and business case for the council in 2018.

Southern Grampians Shire Council mayor David Robertson said the design brief is one of the most important stages of the project.

"This piece of work is crucial in ensuring the new building matches the quality and importance of our incredible collection. The design brief sets the agenda for years ahead, through design, construction and operation," he said.

The new gallery building is part of a larger CBD revitalization project for Hamilton.

"It's really special to have such high-calibre experts advising on this project," Robertson said.

"This partnership will guide us in developing a new gallery that will allow us to host nationally and internationally significant exhibitions, provide viewing and interactive opportunities for the entire Southern Grampians community, as well as providing appropriate storage for our collection of over 9,000 objects."