In the face of green bans and protests, Powerhouse Museum rethinks future
Plans for the sale of the Powerhouse Museum's Ultimo site back-flipped over the weekend, as protests escalated around its imminent closure and green bans were imposed on the new Parramatta site.
After six years of protest and various Parliamentary Inquiries since the idea was first introduced by the Baird Government in 2014, the dismantling of the Powerhouse Museum at Ultimo, to accommodate a move west to Parramatta, took a dramatic turn around over the weekend.
The surprise announcement by NSW Treasurer Dominic Perrottet and a recently reappointed Minister for the Arts, Don Harwin, on Saturday, 4 July, was welcomed by the sector, especially the Powerhouse Museum Alliance – which has long advocated for the relocation decision to be reversed.
Gina Fairley is ArtsHub's Senior Contributor, after 12 years in the role as National Visual Arts Editor. She has worked for extended periods in America and Southeast Asia, as gallerist, arts administrator and regional contributing editor for a number of magazines, including Hong Kong based Asian Art News and World Sculpture News. She is an Art Tour leader for the AGNSW Members, and lectures regularly on the state of the arts. She is based in Mittagong, regional NSW.
Instagram: fairleygina
