A PLAN TO MAKE THE STATUS QUO @ QVMAG LOOK A LITTLE DIFFERENT

Councillors heralded another "paradigm shift" for the city's cultural institutions, after formally endorsing a long-term strategic plan for the Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery (QVMAG) ......... The QVMAG Strategic Plan 2023-2028 builds on the previous QVMAG Future Directions Plan endorsed by the City of Launceston council, and lays out eight goals to be achieved over the coming years.......... Councillor Danny Gibson said the older document represented a "paradigm shift" for the museum, with the subsequent strategic plan being the culmination a years-long process."This has been an iterative process that has and should celebrate all of the people that have gone before at QVMAG to get us to where we are," Cr Gibson said.......... "In looking back, it's only in doing that that we can look forward.......... "There are lots of people out there who are working so hard in order for us to achieve the goals set out the eight goals set out in the strategy."......... Cr Gibson said there was still more work to be done, and he looked forward to the council publishing its tourism strategy.......... He said this would allow a more unified approach to promoting the city's cultural institutions along with its culinary bona fides as demonstrated by its certification as a UNESCO City of Gastronomy.......... QVMAG had a record-breaking year over 2022-23, when 158,263 people attended exhibitions and other events held at Royal Park and Inveresk.......... The museum's collections contain 1.5 million items.......... Specific actions listed in the new strategic plan include creating a futures fund to allow the museum to be self-sufficient, and establishing a new governance board.......... The exact makeup of the board is still to be determined, however elected and non-elected representatives from the council are likely inclusions, as the City of Launceston will retain ownership of the collections and buildings. The full list of eight goals is as follows:......... Fit-for-Purpose Governance Sustainable ... Funding An Accessible and ... Well-Managed Collection ... Engaging with Audiences, ...  Community and Partners Engaging with Aboriginal and First Nations Peoples ...  A Powerful Brand Priority Capital Projects ... A Strong Organisational Culture......... The document was endorsed unanimously on July 11.