McClelland Sculpture Park and Gallery, just outside Frankston, is asking governments for $750,000 a year to stay open. The Age, which offers subscription access, reported on Monday that without that money the gallery cannot cover its operating costs and may have to close, according to its director.
The gallery has launched a public petition calling on the Victorian Government, Frankston City Council and the Federal Government to provide ongoing operational funding. “Today, McClelland's future is at risk due to long-term public underfunding,” the petition says. It states that McClelland is seeking $750,000 in annual government support “to help secure its immediate future while longer-term solutions are developed”.
McClelland says it welcomes about 60,000 visitors a year but receives just $2 in government funding per visitor, compared with $20 to $30 for similar cultural institutions. The petition says Frankston City Council funding has been reduced by half and Victorian Government operational funding is scheduled to end from the 2028 financial year.
The Age reported that the Victorian government’s Creative Enterprises Program provides McClelland with $115,500 a year until June 2028, and Frankston City Council provides $25,000 a year to 2028. Board chair Matt Healy told the newspaper that local, state and federal funding totals just $140,500 a year, which he called “a pittance” that “verges on the disrespectful”. He said regional galleries such as Geelong Gallery and Heide Museum of Modern Art receive at least 10 times as much government funding.
Director Lisa Byrne wants an extra $750,000 a year for five years while McClelland works towards near self-sufficiency, The Age reported. “We have benefited from philanthropy, but the substantial support we once received ceased almost 15 years ago,” she said. “We have restructured and sold assets, including publicly reported sales of paintings following a review of the collection, to keep our doors open for the past 18 months.”
Mr Healy said the board had “exhausted every option within our control to increase revenue and visitation and reduce costs”, including music and film festivals, weddings and functions. The Age reported that ideas explored by the board include selling the block of land next door to a developer for affordable housing.
McClelland was established in 1971 through a family bequest of money and eight hectares of land, and has grown to cover 16 hectares, according to The Age. The gallery is on McClelland Drive in Langwarrin, and McClelland’s website describes it as a not-for-profit organisation that relies largely on visitors and donations to conserve its collection and care for its sculpture park and bushland setting. The Age reported that the gallery, its land, buildings and art collection have an asset value of $57.5 million, and that it receives more than $500,000 a year in philanthropy. Ms Byrne said 30 full-time-equivalent staff work at the site.
The sculpture park is home to Gregor Kregar’s nine-metre-high Reflective Lullaby, better known as the Chrome Gnome. The work came from the McClelland Commission, a partnership set up in 2013 between Peninsula Link company Southern Way and the gallery, The Age reported.
A Frankston City Council spokesperson told The Age: “While council recognises McClelland’s importance, the level of funding required to address its current financial position is beyond what council can sustainably provide.” Opposition arts spokesman David Davis said: “The gallery needs a long-term solution that deals with all the challenges it faces. The Liberals and the Nationals will work with McClelland if elected.”
The appeal comes as the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance and the Don’t Break Our Arts campaign hold a rally on the steps of State Library Victoria from 4.30pm on Monday. The Age reported that Don’t Break Our Arts estimates funding to small-to-medium arts organisations and independent artists in Victoria has fallen by about 35 per cent since 2022.
