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Powerhouse Director

Statement by Rose Hiscock, Director Powerhouse Museum, 2 March 2015

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Rose Hiscock, Director, Powerhouse Museum

I would like to update you on recent announcements regarding Powerhouse Museum.

This week the NSW Government released Create in NSW: The NSW Arts and Cultural Policy Framework and made a statement with regard to the Powerhouse.

In summary, a re-elected NSW Liberals & Nationals Government will:

  • Move Powerhouse Museum to Parramatta, as part of a Parramatta Arts and Cultural Precinct;
  • Commit $10 million of new money to develop the business case and planning for the Powerhouse relocation;
  • Guarantee all proceeds from the urban renewal of the existing Powerhouse Museum site in Ultimo will be committed to funding the new Museum at Parramatta;
  • Hold a design competition to develop an iconic and fit-for purpose facility to house the new museum.

Last year the Museum articulated a new vision for the Powerhouse that included targets to build our audience and future-proof this fantastic institution for generations to come; to be the leading museum of applied arts and sciences. As you would be aware, the MAAS team is committed to actioning our 2020 Vision.

Cultural institutions have a responsibility to respond to and embrace demographic changes to ensure they remain vibrant, relevant and sustainable. The option outlined in the State Infrastructure Strategy, and reaffirmed by the Premier, provides an opportunity to reinvent Powerhouse Museum in a purpose-built facility in Australia’s fastest growing and most diverse region.

Wherever the Museum is located it must, and will always be, a place that sparks curiosity and inspires creative thinking and innovation in our community. We look forward to sharing our extraordinary collection of more than 500,000 pieces with more and more people in the years ahead.

Whilst we develop the business case for a new venue, the Museum remains focused on delivering exceptional programs and exhibitions and experiences across its three sites: Powerhouse Museum, Sydney Observatory and Discovery Centre.

I look forward to updating you on developments.

Kind regards,

Rose Hiscock
Director, Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences