THE AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM'S FIRST GALLERY TRANSFORMED

Australian Museum (AM), Westpac and the NSW Government will restore the nation’s first museum gallery, showcasing its 200 most significant treasures. The $9 million project is jointly funded by Westpac, the NSW Government and the AM’s philanthropic efforts. It will transform the current Long Gallery into the Westpac Long Gallery in 2017, to mark the AM’s 190th year and Westpac’s 200th anniversary.

NSW Premier Mike Baird said this week, “These significant national treasures are too valuable to be hidden away inside vaults and it’s fantastic that they will be put on permanent public display in the Westpac Long Gallery. This type of collaboration demonstrates the NSW Government’s commitment to developing innovative models of investment in our cultural institutions.”.

The AM’s Executive Director and CEO, Kim McKay AO, said the historic partnership had contributed renewed vision to Australia’s first museum, with the Westpac Long Gallery set to become the ‘must see’ gallery in Australia. “The incredible stories of the most significant treasures from the Australian Museum’s collection of 18 million objects will be made available for current and future generations to discover the history of our nation and our region,” she said.