Mornington Peninsula Arts Centre

Full description

The Mornington Peninsula Arts Centre (MPAC) was founded at a public meeting at the Mornington Civic Centre on 23 July 1969. The Centre was constituted in 1970 under the Local Government Act, 1958.

The MPAC is administered by a Committee of Management of nine members appointed by the Mornington Shire Council and reports to the Council. The Management Committee includes representatives from the Shire Councils of Flinders and Hastings.

The centre was established on Council property with the Council holding Arts Centre assets in trust. The centre's Gallery was formed to provide a major public arts centre for cultural and education purposes as part of the Australian regional art gallery movement.

Finance and Support

The MPAC is one of the sixteen regional galleries in Victoria and is jointly funded by the Ministry for Arts (VA 1025) and the local councils of Mornington, Flinders and Hastings.

The MPAC was admitted to nominal membership of the Regional Galleries Association of Victoria (the R.G.A.V.) in April 1970, and to full membership in April 1971.

The sixteen regional galleries which comprise the Regional Galleries Association of Victoria (R.G.A.V.) are owned and managed by local city councils, boards of trustees, or a statutory authority. They are supported financially by their respective communities and by the State Government through the Victorian Ministry for the Arts on a system of matching grants in proportion to their classification.

The Ministry for Arts was empowered under the provisions of the Ministry for the Arts Act 1972 (No.8357) to encourage and assist other government departments, municipalities and public authorities in the promotion of art in Victoria.

The MPAC receives assistance from the Bank of Melbourne/Victorian Government Art foundation Inc. and the Caltex Victorian Government Art Fund created by the Ministry for Arts.

Other contributions to the MPAC funds are from MPAC Gallery Society and from industry and sources.

Assistance for specific projects is rendered from the Australia Council through the Visual Arts Board and also from the Crafts Board and Community Arts Board.

Other supportive bodies include, the Dobell Foundation and the Peter Stuyvesant Foundation and others.

MPAC is one of two Australian regional galleries with a major collection of drawings. It is the only regional gallery with a major collection of international posters. It also collects other types of visual art e.g. paintings and sculpture.

Location of Records

See list below.