Cultural gifts and bequests with Shoalhaven City Arts Centre
1 May 11
Shoalhaven City Mayor Councillor Paul Green has called for interested citizens to consider a bequest to Shoalhaven city’s art collection.
Council is seeking artworks by major artists and items of cultural heritage of historical significance to add to the city’s collection.
The Shoalhaven City Arts Centre collection contains significant works of art including Samuel Elyard’s watercolours from the early 19th century to more recent photographic works by John Witzig, capturing the physical and spiritual map of surfing in the 1960s and 1970s.
“To help build a significant regional collection we are interested in talking with people who might wish to gift their art works or their art collection to the city,” Clr Green said.
“This is a significant move and Council is interested in working with local citizens to build our regional collection together.”
In 2008 two local citizens gifted 170 works to the city’s collection. The MG Dingle and GB Hughes Collection is made up mainly of Australian women’s artists with works from the 1950s to the present.
The collection has a large number of works by Victorian artist Margaret Dredge [1928 – 2001]. Art collector Max Dingle said: “Because donations of artworks made through the Cultural Gifts Program or by bequest play a significant role in building community collections and I wanted to contribute to the community I have been a part of for almost 50 years.
“This was the main reason that I and Gavin Hughes gifted our art collection to the city. Being able to share the enjoyment of art with the people in our community is giving me great satisfaction and pleasure.”
Council has recently been granted Cultural Gift receipt status by the Federal government.
The Australian Government’s Cultural Gift Program encourages gifts of culturally significant items from private collections to public art galleries who are registered as deductible gift recipients with the Australian Taxation Office.
Generous offers of art works from donors can provide an enduring legacy beyond their own lifetime.
An arts bequest allows for continued support of the Shoalhaven City Gallery, contributing to the development and growth of the Gallery Collection, and enriching and educating the community by providing a lasting gift for future generations to enjoy.
Through the Cultural Gifts Program, donations of art works and culturally significant items to public art galleries are eligible for a tax deduction for the market value of the gift.
Gifts made under this program are exempt from capital gains tax and the tax deductions may be spread over a period of up to five years.
Gifts can range from paintings, woodcut prints, sculptures, works in glass to ceramics. Acquisition will be considered within the context of the Art Collection – Regional Gallery Policy, conservation requirements and storage constraints.
The City’s Arts Development Manager would be happy to discuss with potential donors the works proposed for donation, as well as the Gallery's collection policies, and provide advice on contacting approved valuers.
If anyone is interested in making a bequest to the city collection, you can contact the Shoalhaven City Arts Centre on (02) 4422 6096 to arrange a meeting, and to find out further information about making a donation under the Cultural Gifts Program to the Shoalhaven City Gallery Collection.
The Cultural Gifts Program is administered by the Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts. For further detailed information on this program visit their internet site at www.arts.gov.au.Shoalhaven.
Maner Jane Lewis (02) 4429 3296