fine lines: navigating the future of Geelong’s creative scene

04/11/2024

As Geelong’s art scene evolves, private gallery owners are grappling with how to

compete – or collaborate - with publicly-funded spaces and events.

Shifts in commercial culture, government-backed initiatives, and the rise of pop-up

galleries are reshaping how art is viewed, purchased, and created.

Geelong’s youngest gallery owner, Molly O’Hara, took over Newtown’s Sequel in

November last year aged 26.

Ms O’Hara has dedicated the space to Geelong’s emerging creatives, but is adapting

to the modern reality of gallery ownership.

“We are supported solely by our artists,” O’Hara said.

Geelong council’s announcement in early September of the proposed $150,000

transformation of Brougham St’s Custom House into Geelong’s newest creative hub

has sparked some apprehension among creative figures in the city.

City of Greater Geelong chief executive Ali Wastie said the refurbishment of the

historic site would begin early next year.

“We aim to complete the work by winter 2025, with the pilot creative hub

commencing in approximately August/September 2025,” Ms Wastie said.

Back in 2021, the Greater Geelong City Council adopted a 10-year Arts and Cultural

Strategy in response to community feedback from 1700 people, laying out how to

support and grow arts and cultural activities in the region.

The “clever and creative” concept included providing more spaces for creatives to

create, rehearse, develop and showcase work, and more opportunities for ongoing

access to art across the municipality.

“We are a proud UNESCO Creative City of Design with a growing creative

community, whose work is showcased through a number of galleries, creative

spaces, public art, projects and initiatives.” Ms Wastie said.

As part of their 2024-2025 budget, Geelong council committed more than $17.5m to

arts and culture initiatives, more than a $2m increase on the financial year prior.

The Council said they will “continue to deliver initiatives to create more opportunities

for live music and entertainment, public art commissions and grants programs.”

“We are aiming to strengthen our cultural sector and contribute to its prosperity and

unlock our community’s creative potential.” They said.

Local galleries and creative organisations are approaching the increase of supported

competition with a fair dose of cautious optimism.

Jennifer Cromarty, chair of Creative Geelong and owner of the recently opened

Untethered Gallery on Little Malop St, speaks highly of the city’s emerging creative

ecosystem.

Over the past six months, Cromarty has seen firsthand how Geelong’s art market is

“maturing”.

For Cromarty, her concern lies not in the creative hub itself, but in whether Customs

House will offer its services for free.

With more than 30 years of experience as a government consultant, Cromarty has

kept a keen eye on the evolution of government spending in the creative space

holding the issue close to her heart, and as a gallery owner, her pocket.

By offering lower-cost or no-cost exhibitions, and creative, coworking, and

developmental spaces as alternatives to the private sector, she said the council runs

the risk of undercutting the independent galleries that have built Geelong’s artistic

community from the ground up.

 “I feel right now we’ve got such a good ecosystem,” Ms Cromarty said.

“The last thing we need is for the council to do something that will disrupt that.”

Cromarty said her concerns were confirmed by the Platform Arts ‘After Walter Hopps’

exhibition, held in August.

The heavily council-funded experimental arthouse waived entry fees for submissions

to the open-call exhibition, in what was cited on their website as removing ‘the

restrictions enforced in an institutional gallery setting’.

The exhibition took place less than a month after the not-for-profit art community

‘The House’ paid out of pocket to run a similarly motivated showcase at Hue and Cry

Gallery (Now Liminal Lab).

Cromarty and O’Hara agree that accessibility to the arts is crucial, but they fear that

government support, without careful planning, could destabilise the delicate

ecosystem of independent galleries.

“I think it’s just really understanding that the situation is delicate,” Ms Cromarty said.

“I think there are nuances in it.”

“So, all I’d say is that if the government is going to do something in the sector, we

absolutely need support but, we also cannot have situations where they’re giving free

space away without some sort of caveat around development.”

When Ren Inei first opened Boom Gallery in 2011 and before his business was

financially viable, he considered whether the cultural impact of the gallery was great

enough to outweigh the need for financial reward.

He acknowledged that “it was hard to stomach other initiatives receiving so much

financial and institutional support.”

Inei said that in today’s market, small privately owned creative spaces working with

predominantly emerging artists across the region like Sequel and Untethered would

particularly feel impacted by “supported competition.”

Ms Cromarty said she strongly advocated for ongoing conversations with the

creative community to ensure new initiatives strengthened, rather than undermined,

Geelong’s private galleries.

She urged council to consider what it could do in collaboration with existing

organisations to grow the ecosystem and encouraged the city to view the arts as a

strong economic driver.

“I think that if the government enables the organisations to work together, you can do

good things.” Ms Cromarty said.

O’Hara mirrored this sentiment, asking that council recognise the ongoing efforts and

hardships of the private sector in nurturing Geelong’s creative climate.

According to Ms Wastie, the council will hold a period of community consultation,

before reopening the Customs House hub.

“Together, we are making Greater Geelong a great place for artists and creative

entrepreneurs to work, learn, collaborate, and grow.” She said.