MCA Sydney will re-open on 31st March 2012, as a bold, new and expanded museum.
The Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) has announced that it will reopen on Saturday 31 March 2012 as a bold, new and expanded museum. Following a 53 million AUD redevelopment, the Museum will be transformed into a major centre for contemporary art and creative learning.The MCA is Australia’s museum of contemporary art, dedicated to exhibiting, collecting and interpreting the work of today’s artists. The widely anticipated reopening of the Museum will be a highlight on the international art calendar. This milestone will be celebrated with a week-long series of launch events culminating in a dynamic schedule of free artist talks and public programs throughout the opening weekend of 31 March and 1 April 2012.
MCA Director, Elizabeth Ann Macgregor, today also unveiled the Museum’s opening exhibitions. The new MCA will open with Marking Time (31 March until 3 June 2012)—an international exhibition, which presents major works by eleven artists in the spacious new top floor galleries. Selected by MCA Senior Curator Rachel Kent, the exhibition will explore the ways in which artists visualise time and its passing, across diverse media—drawing and watercolour, sculpture and installation, sound and light.
The new MCA will also highlight its collection, beginning with Volume One: MCA Collection, which will feature works by more than 150 Australian artists. Curated by MCA Curator Glenn Barkley, this new presentation will reflect the strength and breadth of Australian contemporary art over the past 20 years. It includes work by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists, the consolidation of film and video practice from a marginal to central position and the emergence of diverse cultural voices as well as ephemeral and performative practices.
A key feature of the new MCA’s program is a series of commissions by Australian artists. Hany Armanious, the Australian Representative at the 54th Venice Biennale, will create the inaugural work for the new Sculpture Terrace. Emily Floyd will create the first sensory environment for the MCA’s Bella Room and Brook Andrew will install a permanent work which responds to the colonial naval dock remains underneath the new extension. Helen Eager will create a large-scale wall painting for the Circular Quay entrance, and Grant Stevens will create a video for the new foyer, featuring names of building donors.
Commencing in August 2010, the MCA redevelopment is by Sydney architect Sam Marshall in partnership with the New South Wales Government Architect. It will create an additional 4,500 square metres, increasing the MCA’s total size by almost 50 per cent. In addition to building three spacious new galleries, the building program will involve a complete refurbishment of existing facilities. The new Museum will house an entire floor dedicated to the MCA Collection, offering a major national resource for education and interpretative programs.
The National Centre for Creative Learning (NCCL) is a significant highlight of the upgrade, created to complement the Museum’s commitment to innovation and its role as a leader in art education. The NCCL features a dedicated multimedia room and digital classroom, two practical studios, a 120-seat lecture theatre and a room for the MCA’s Bella program for children with special needs. Using unique learning programs and the latest technology, the Centre will connect with classrooms across Australia and the world to engage people with art through seamless accessibility.
For further information, images or interviews please refer to the following contacts:
Gabrielle Wilson
MCA PR Manager, Sydney
M: +61 (0) 429 572 869
T: +61 (0) 2 9245 2434 or
Gabrielle.Wilson@mca.com.au
Jeffrey Walkowiak
Blue Medium Inc., New York, USA
T: +1 (212) 675 1800
F: +1 (212) 675 1855 or
Jeffrey@bluemedium.com
David Field
Calum Sutton PR, London, UK
T: +44 (0) 20 7183 3577
F: +44 (0) 20 7183 3578 or
David@suttonpr.com
