Frequently Asked Questions

The Plan was developed through extensive consultation with the community and other key stakeholders over several years. This included Council and arts sector led community engagement to help inform goal setting and future planning. Activities included workshops and surveys with diverse members of the community and the creative sector. The Plan was also informed by the comprehensive community engagement process undertaken for the development of Council’s Creative Wollongong 2019-2024 cultural plan and feedback from Museums and Galleries NSW Guess Who’s Going to the Gallery, state-wide regional gallery survey 2012.  

The development of the Plan has allowed the Gallery the opportunity for some critical self-reflection enabling it to explore new ideas and approaches and to redefine and refocus its Vision, Mission and Purpose.

• To create more interaction with the Arts Precinct and broader CBD
• To see more exhibitions that engage with and tell regional stories
• To encounter more art and ideas that challenge expectations and beliefs
• To see more exhibitions that promote inclusion particularly for marginalised groups
• More opportunities for young people to easily engage and actively participate
• More opportunities to engage and learn about Aboriginal culture
• To make visiting the Gallery a more social experience with a café and bigger gift shop
• Improved marketing and communications particularly through social media platforms
• The Gallery to contribute to the night life of the city and the evening economy

• Be ambitious and expand our profile to become the creative ‘centre’ for Wollongong, the region and beyond
• Strengthen partnership opportunities
• Investigate how to increase/broaden our revenue base through government, business and philanthropic funding opportunities
• Embrace social media and digital platforms to promote our programs
• Build capacity to allow a more rigorous approach to program development while enhancing our community and art sector outcomes
• Expand our engagement with Aboriginal communities by working together to develop projects and programs

The purpose of the Plan is to guide the Gallery over the next five years. It outlines the ways the Gallery will enhance the cultural and creative experience in Wollongong while contributing to the city’s social connectivity, economic development and community wellbeing.

The Plan builds on the Gallery's achievements and sets six clear focus areas. It sits alongside the Gallery's cultural strategies identified within Creative Wollongong 2019-2024 and Our Wollongong 2028 Community Strategic Plan.

The opportunities and challenges identified through previous community engagement processes provide the Gallery  with a set of six clear focus areas for the next five years including:

• Place
• The Program
• The Collection
• The Visitor Experience
• WAG's Profile, and
• Partnerships

The Plan includes how the Gallery will put ideas into action through an Implementation Plan. To find out more about the focus areas and the actions go to page  26 of the document.

Established in 1978, the Gallery has been delivering an important cultural service to the region for over 40 years and continues to be a catalyst in enlivening and enriching the cultural dimension of the city, region and state by engaging in contemporary issues of relevance, interest and public benefit. And it's free!

As a NSW regional gallery its prime purpose is to expose and engage our community and visitors to a range of diverse art and cultural experiences. Equally important is its role in supporting artists and creatives while promoting the continued development of innovative thinking and quality art making in Australia.

To comment on the Plan, either complete the survey, email us at: engagement@wollongong.nsw.gov.au or phone us on 4227 7111.

All comments must be received by 6 August 2020.