GALLERY CHAIRMAN TO RETIRE AFTER THIRD TERM

Arts Minister Rod Welford today announced the retirement of Queensland Art Gallery Board of Trustees Chairman, Wayne Goss.

Mr Welford paid tribute to Mr Goss who will retire from the Board in February 2008 at the end of his third term as Chairman.

“As Chairman, Wayne Goss has provided astute leadership and vision during a remarkable period in the Gallery’s history,” Mr Welford said.

“It’s a period during which the Queensland Art Gallery has developed into a two-site institution, incorporating the acclaimed new Gallery of Modern Art (GoMA), Australia’s largest gallery of modern and contemporary art.

“Wayne has played a significant role in the development of GoMA and the hugely popular Asia-Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art (APT) series of exhibitions, which have put our Gallery on the international map.

“He became Premier and Arts Minister in 1989, and in those roles he gave crucial early support to the concept of the Triennial and the proposed development of a second gallery building. Those developments have made an important and long-lasting impact on how people view Queensland and Brisbane, and our place in the cultural life of the region.”

University of Queensland Vice-Chancellor Professor John Hay will take over as Chairman of the Queensland Art Gallery Board of Trustees in February 2008.

Mr Welford said Mr Goss had steered the Gallery through almost a decade of great change and commended him for his contribution and leadership.

“Under his Chairmanship, the Gallery has developed a strong and ongoing engagement with Asia, especially through the APT which was established in 1993,” he said. “Other initiatives created during this period include the Australian Cinémathèque and the Children’s Art Centre, with its programs consistently attracting Queensland families to the Gallery.”

Mr Goss was appointed Chairman in June 1999 after retiring from politics in 1998.

Mr Goss said that with the opening of GoMA and the appointment of new Gallery Director Tony Ellwood, the Gallery had begun a new and exciting phase of its history.

“It’s time to hand over the reins to a new team who will address the Gallery’s future challenges,” he said.

Wayne Goss is National Chairman of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Australia, Chairman of Ausenco Ltd and Chair of the Government Reform Commission for the South Australian Government. He is Adjunct Professor at the University of Queensland Law School and Graduate School of Management, and was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from Griffith University in 2003.

Media contact: Marnie Stitz or Emma Clarey on 3237 1000