BY BLAKE QUINN
The second stage of the $43.8 million Newcastle Art Gallery expansion will begin next month.
City of Newcastle unanimously voted to award the contract for the construction works to Hansen Yunken at it's meeting last night.
The nationally significant infrastructure project will undergo its second stage transformation in May.
It's set to elevate the gallery into one of international standing, helping consolidate the Hunter's reputation as an "active and vibrant centre for the arts and culture, providing a significant cultural tourism opportunity for NSW" according to Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes.
The expansion will provide additional exhibition space to showcase Newcastle's historic art collection valued at $126 million, nationally recognised as one of the finest in Australia.
As such, it will offer an opportunity to tell local stories whilst also inspiring new ones through displaying works of art which hold local, national, and international importance.
The project will also deliver new shopping spaces, multi-purpose educational program spaces, as well as an international standard loading dock.
A spokesperson form Hansen Yunken says they plan to employ 130 local workers at the height of the expansion's construction works.
The initial site establishment will commence in May, with the overall construction process projected to be completed in late 2024.
