The Ian Potter Center is a unique Australian art museum with over 20 galleries and 20,000 pieces, including Australian Aboriginal art. It offers educational programs and a children’s gallery. It is located within the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne’s Federation Square building. Sir Ian Potter, a philanthropist, politician, and financier, is its namesake.
The Ian Potter Center is an Australian art museum containing more than 20 different galleries with more than 20,000 individual pieces. It has the distinction of being the first of its kind in the world due to its unique focus on Australian art. The exhibits here not only include paintings, photographs, drawings and sculptures by Australian artists or on Australian subjects, but also exhibitions on textiles, jewelery and fashion-related creations. It is a popular tourist attraction that received 5 million visitors in its first five years of opening.
Opened in 2003 within the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) in Melbourne’s 2003-built concrete Federation Square building, the Ian Potter Center is recognized worldwide for its galleries of Australian Aboriginal art. There are several Australian Aboriginal galleries with many exhibits that change regularly. While exhibits are typically changed to encourage repeat visitors, there are other reasons that involve the preservation of the artwork. For example, some of the sketches in the downtown Colonial gallery may become damaged by excessive exposure to light.
The Colonial Gallery focuses on works created by Europeans who settled in Australia. There are at least 20 galleries spread across three different floors starting with Australian colonial art and ending with contemporary pieces. Some of the well-known artists whose work is featured at the center include Tom Roberts, Emily Kngwarreye, Sidney Nolan and Margaret Preston.
A children’s gallery is typically included and usually offers a variety of hands-on exhibits for children. Exhibits may include coloring projects and a themed story reading, depending on the time of year and season. Other kid-friendly features at the Ian Potter Center may involve a musical performance of a symphony or other fun family events. The center is also known for holding educational programs such as those covering the history of Australian Aboriginal art. For this reason, schools are often involved in these types of art museum programs.
The centre’s affiliation with NGV Melbourne is sometimes confused with the National Gallery of Australia (NGA) in Canberra. The NGV is Australia’s oldest public art museum, having been established in 1861. The Ian Potter Center is named after Sir Ian Potter, a financier, politician, philanthropist and member of the Building Committee of the NGV, who passed away on 24 October 1994 at the age of 92. many arts projects in Australia which included the creation of ballet companies and theatres.
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