New Emu Park Community Arts Centre exciting chapter for the Livingstone Shire community

Emu Park’s main street will soon be home to a new purpose-built single storey community arts centre.  

Livingstone Shire Council Mayor, Andy Ireland, said the construction of the new Arts Centre in Emu Park will provide a vibrant new premises for the local and regional art communities and a functional gallery space in which to host travelling exhibitions. 

 “Council was successful in obtaining $1.1 million in Works for Queensland (W4Q) funding to provide a new Arts Centre containing an exhibition gallery, workshops spaces, and commercial space,” Mayor Ireland said. 

 “This is on top of the $200,000 funding already allocated to the space by Council.”

 Portfolio holder of Healthy and Inclusive Community, Councillor Pat Eastwood, said the new art gallery presents a fresh and exciting chapter for the Shire and is expected to help grow the arts community, promote community wellbeing, increase tourism, and stimulate the local economy.

 “The new space will also provide resources and programmes for educational groups, allow artworks to be experienced outside of screens, act as a source of inspiration, and influence how we see the world,” Cr Eastwood said. 

“These are just some of the enormous benefits.”

Subject to weather, works are expected to be completed by June this year.

“Council would like to thank the Queensland Government for its valuable funding support towards the project through the Works for Queensland programme,” Cr Eastwood said.

“The arts centre will be a welcome addition to our coastal community.” 

Member for Keppel and Assistant Education Minister Brittany Lauga said the Palaszczuk Government understands the significance of arts and culture to our communities.

“This is why we’ve committed $1.1 million to this project from the 2019/20 round of the Works for Queensland programme,” she said.

“Art and culture is a wonderful way of preserving and strengthening a strong community’s sense of place, forging an identity, and showing creativity.

“The new centre will boast multiple opportunities for learning, entertainment, leisure, personal growth, and communicating with others.

“It will set the standard for the coastal community.”