Art Gallery of South Australia

Ms WORTLEY (Torrens) (15:06): My question is for the Minister for the Arts. What influenced the attendance numbers at the Art Gallery in the last financial year?

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING (Playford—Minister for Health, Minister for Mental Health and Substance Abuse, Minister for the Arts, Minister for Health Industries) (15:06): I thank the member for Torrens for her question. I am pleased to inform the house that attendances at the Art Gallery of South Australia have increased significantly this year. A staggering 779,670 visitors attended our state's premier gallery in the 2014-15 financial year, including our Treasurer. This is the highest attendance in the gallery's history and is a remarkable 12 per cent increase on the previous year.

The significant increase was underpinned by strong attendance from children and their families at free public programs that support them, as well as the newly introduced First Fridays, which allow the gallery to stay up late on the first Friday of each month. Supported by Santos, First Fridays are proving successful in drawing in an after-work crowd for music, drinks and special talks and tours.

The START program, supported by the Balnaves Foundation, runs on the first Sunday of the month and aims to introduce children to the Art Gallery and foster a love of the collection. Similarly, The Studio is a free hands-on activity space supported by the James and Diana Ramsay Foundation. School visits also rose last financial year to almost 35,000, taking the total number of attendances at child-friendly programs to 77,500. Another increase in attendance came from tourism, with 26 per cent of the 60,000 visitors to Fashion Icons, masterpieces from the collection of the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris, hailing from outside South Australia.

These notable achievements by one of our most important cultural institutions confirm the public appetite for accessible and innovative arts. Of course, none of these great results would have been possible without the hard work and dedication of our wonderful director, Nick Mitzevich, who, since taking the reins in 2010, has seen our gallery transformed from a cultural asset to an economic necessity backed by a strong board, now chaired by Tracy Whiting, and a generous foundation.

I would like to acknowledge all of the staff, volunteers and supporters of the gallery. It is because of their enthusiasm and generous support that we can continue to reinvigorate the artistic experience and make it accessible to more and more members of the community. Finally, the Art Gallery's current exhibition, Treasure Ships: Art in the Age of Spices, is on display until 30 August. It is a collection of artworks and pieces that reflect the cultural interaction between Europe and Asia from the 16^th to the 19^th centuries. I encourage all members to get along to see this stunning exhibition and support our fantastic cultural institution.