Jennifer Kalionis, who moved from Adelaide to become director in 2014, is among six employees who will be left jobless when the gallery closes on August 11.  

While she felt hurt at the gallery’s sudden closure, Ms Kalionis also said she was proud of her work and the efforts of staff to broaden the gallery’s appeal.

“The gallery was always a lofty place, a bit of a gentlemen's club,” she said.

Read more: Gallery closure a ‘national tragedy’: art leaders say

“Our programming has been diverse and engaging and reached record exhibition attendance figures for our organisation.”

Exhibitions prior to Ms Kalionis’ appointment attracted an average of between 800 and 1000 visitors.

Since her installation in the top job, an exhibition of Ben Quilty war portraits drew 9000 attendees and a Bill Henson show pulled a 4000-strong crowd.

Ms Kalionis also oversaw the first exhibition of Aboriginal art with Ginger Riley: The Boss of Colour, and its first-ever participation in the Castlemaine State Festival, both in 2015.

“The staff’s many achievements were realised whilst simultaneously undertaking measures to investigate and address operational compliance, and to overcome past practices with professionalism and a strong moral compass,” the director said. 

The Bendigo Advertiser understands that, upon Ms Kalionis’ arrival, an examination of the gallery found its financial situation was uncertain and its curatorial practices outdated.   

While management of the collection was modernised, a failure to secure new sources of funding meant rising costs could not be covered. 

Among those who paid tribute to the work of Ms Kalionis since the gallery’s closure was Public Galleries Association of Victoria president Sue Roff.

“This success (of the Castlemaine Art Museum) has been achieved through the professionalism, expertise, tenacity and unfailing commitment of its director, Jennifer Kalionis, and her dedicated team,” a disappointed Ms Roff said in a written statement last week. 

“It is regrettable that these achievements will come to a halt with the closure of the gallery.”

The gallery’s 600 members are invited to a 6pm meeting at the Castlemaine Town Hall tomorrow night where board directors will answer questions about the two-year hiatus.  

Ms Kalionis hoped the board could find a way to re-open the gallery but said she would likely end her ties to the institution when her employment was terminated next week.  

The closure of the Castlemaine Art Museum will not affect the Mount Alexander shire’s capacity to host a year-long arts program in 2018, state and local governments have said.

The gallery’s two-year break comes just months before the central Victorian municipality is due to host a 12-month calendar of state-funded arts events would take place.

Greater Bendigo, Hepburn and Central Goldfields shires are also involved in the Regional Centre for Culture.

A Mount Alexander Shire Council spokeswoman this week said the program for the Regional Centre for Culture, a million-dollar state government program, was still undetermined, meaning the gallery’s two-year closure would not cause any disruptions.   

Victorian arts minister Martin Foley also defended the shire’s role in the arts program. 

He described the gallery closure as disappointing but responsible, a move that would enable the museum to “lay a strong foundation for the future”.

“It has a passionate community of supporters and I hope they too contribute to this process of renewal.”