A GUGGENHEIM-style art museum has been floated as one of the possibilities for the next phase of development in the Mildura arts precinct.
Mildura Rural City Council has bought 9 Chaffey Avenue for $745,000 with a view to completing the makeover of the precinct.
Sitting next to Mildura’s most important heritage building, Rio Vista, it is the last remaining property within the precinct that council did not own.
Arts and Culture councillor Jason Modica confirmed the purchase and said it was a case of council “future-proofing” the precinct as it prepares for an update to its masterplan for the location next year.
Cr Modica said that among the early concepts for the site were a black-box pop-up theatre, or a place to display some of Mildura’s “wonderful”, historic artworks.
“There have been a few preliminary meetings about what we could do with this site,” he said.
“One option is that it could be a different access into the main theatre. There could also be the opportunity for a smaller theatre there.
“People have utilised the training aspect of the arts centre very well, whether it’s been the Eisteddfod or the ballet guild. So we could have a black-box theatre on this site.
“The other thing, too, is that there’s a wonderful local art collection that is in storage.
“There could be a Guggenheim-style extension to the gallery so we could have a bit of (Senator R.D.) Elliott’s many fine donated artworks from the 1950s that could be on permanent display.”
He said the council bought the property “on the idea that we’d rather have it now and be prepared once we have the community consultation”, which could possibly be late next year.
“With the greater development and the rebuild of the theatre, and then what may happen to Rio Vista with the precinct’s masterplan, it is advantageous to have that option to build a better arts precinct,” Cr Modica said.
“We need to be continuing to make that river-end of Mildura the centrepiece of how we attract people. We get people here through the arts, through the river, and then let them enjoy other parts of our growing town.”
Council’s latest precinct property purchase is within the Chaffey Avenue Heritage Precinct and has a heritage overlay (HO307). It is not listed as a property of individual heritage significance.
The foundations for a dedicated arts precinct in our region were first laid in 1950 when Rio Vista historic house was bought by the council for £18,000.
