The global disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic has not put a stop to Bendigo Art Gallery's plans for an international exhibition next year.
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Director Jessica Bridgfoot said the exhibition, due to open in March 2021, was so far going ahead as intended and the gallery was in regular contact with its international partner.
She said the gallery was confident international travel restrictions would have eased by March so those involved overseas could come to Bendigo, but if not, the content of the exhibition would still be available.
"Everything is full steam ahead," Ms Bridgfoot said.
The details of the exhibition will be announced at a later date.
Ms Bridgfoot said the gallery tended to plan its exhibitions about two years in advance, which was fortunate in the case of a crisis, such as this one.
Staff were unable to travel overseas to research and find new exhibitions, she said, but the gallery was set for the next 18 months. However, Ms Bridgfoot said there had been some reshuffling of domestic exhibitions.
This year's major exhibition, Piinpi: Contemporary Indigenous Fashion was originally scheduled to open in July, but will instead run from September 5 to November 29.
While keeping the original opening date was a possibility, Ms Bridgfoot said gallery staff had to consider whether they could put on the exhibition to its full extent and visitors would want to attend.
She said the exhibition was the first of its kind and they wanted to ensure it had the most exposure possible, so a decision was made to delay it.
COVID-19 also threw up some logistical hurdles for the organisation of Piinpi.
Many exhibitions are coming from remote communities, which have been in coronavirus lockdown under federal legislation, and the gallery was having exhibits couriered to Bendigo when everything closed down.
Despite the challenges, the gallery has gained some valuable lessons from the shutdown.
"There are a lot of things we will take from this period and a lot of things we had to take on, like online programming, that we might not have done that well in the past," Ms Bridgfoot said.
The gallery was scheduled to reopen soon, but Ms Bridgfoot said they were looking at ways to stream their public programs online.
As a regional venue with limited physical capacity, she said, online streaming gave more people the chance to enjoy the gallery's content.
She also said there were lots of opportunities online to reach more people, across Australia and overseas.
Bendigo Art Gallery will reopen on Saturday, June 6, with extra hygiene measures and visitor limits in place.
Natalie Croxon
Reporter at the Illawarra Mercury, mostly covering social affairs. Previously of the Bendigo Advertiser, Northern Daily Leader and Quirindi Advocate. Our Watch award winner.
Reporter at the Illawarra Mercury, mostly covering social affairs. Previously of the Bendigo Advertiser, Northern Daily Leader and Quirindi Advocate. Our Watch award winner.
