Bridge Art Project committee members. Photos: Supplied
The Bridge Art Project Inc has received $1.6 million in funding from the Federal Government to help bring the Murray River Art Gallery to life.
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The new art gallery is set to be built at 74 Meninya St, Moama, with hopes for it to be Moama’s newest tourist attraction and community hub.
Bridge Art Project chair Chris Bilkey said the committee was overjoyed with the news.
“We’re tremendously excited, we have a very, very good team on the committee and we think now the rubber is really starting to hit the road,” he said.
“Through this recent grant of almost $1.7 million we have the ability to build and landscape the site to a much better level than we would have otherwise been able to.”
The former Bridge Art Project building which was demolished to make way for the Murray River Art Gallery.
Photo by
Steve Huntley
The funding is part of the Federal Government’s Growing Regions Program which has provided up to $15 million in funding to local government bodies and not-for-profit organisations for community infrastructure projects.
The $1.6 million grant will supplement the $4.95 million the group received through the NSW Regional Tourism Activation Fund, $115,932 in funds from a Community Building Partnerships grant and $300,500 raised by the committee through donations and fundraising.
The total $7,025,554 in funding will go towards the construction of the Murray River Art Gallery, including plans for a gift shop, community room on-site and a restaurant and cafe overlooking the outdoor site.
Federal Member for Farrer Sussan Ley said she was happy to receive news of the milestone.
“I was delighted to get the call confirming the funding this week and pleased I can help push for this dynamic project to succeed,” she said.
“What impresses me so much with this project — and I guess more broadly with most new Moama developments — is the desire to respect and connect with the river, telling our story in unique ways, from the past, to the present and future.”
Sussan Ley was happy to hear the project had secured the funding. Photo: Supplied.
With funding ready to go, the project can now move ahead with its design plans with confidence.
The latest funding will go towards developing the outdoor space around the gallery, including an amphitheatre for outdoor activities and a new raised walkway over the 17 hectares of bush and wetlands to the rear of the site.
The committee hopes to have the final development application done by April at the latest.
Once this application is approved and the construction certificate is acquired, the committee expects shovels to hit the ground by July.
Mr Bilkey said the committee hoped the gallery would be a reflection of the community.
“We are a volunteer organisation, we are not council funded and so it’s an entire community project,” he said.
“We want to make sure that the aspirations of the community, as far as a meeting hub and as a cultural centre, can be met by the gallery we plan to build.”
The committee welcomes new members and is calling for interested people to contribute their skills and expertise to progress the project.
Meetings are held at the Campaspe Regional Library, Echuca on the second Thursday of the month at 4pm, commencing in February.
If you are interested in joining, please call committee secretary Lynne on 0411 412 440 for details.
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