City awarded Community Heritage Grant

The City has received a Community Heritage Grant (CHG) from the National Library of Australia to undertake a Significance Assessment of our art collection. 

The $4,500 grant was announced publicly at the National Library of Australia in Canberra on October 30, and is clear acknowledgement of the national significance of our art collection.

The City’s collection contains important items such as the artworks in the May and Herbert Gibbs Collection, acquired by the City in 1997. The Gibbs family were long time residents of South Perth, with May Gibbs known for her Australian classic Snugglepot and Cuddlepie.  

The grant will assist with the City’s initiatives to develop and enhance its art collection, by providing funding to engage a specialist consultant to undertake the Significance Assessment. 

The Significance Assessment will be completed through a specialised examination of the City’s art collection and report on its historic, artistic or aesthetic, scientific or research potential, and social or spiritual significance in alignment with national guidelines. 

The project will help the City understand the value and meaning of its art collection for the local community and nation, and will inform management, conservation and development of our art collection into the future. 

The completed Significance Assessment may also provide a basis for future Community Heritage Grant applications for the City’s art collection.

The CHG program is now in its 26th year and provides grants to community organisations to assist with the preservation of locally owned, nationally significant collections of materials. Sixty grants were awarded nationally in 2019. 

In addition to the City, other Western Australian groups that received grants this year included the Law Society of Western Australia, the Northcliffe Pioneer Museum Inc and Swan Guildford Historical Society. 

The CHG program is managed by the National Library of Australia on behalf of the Australian Government, through the Department of Communications and the Arts; the National Archives of Australia; National Film and Sound Archive; and the National Museum of Australia.