Belconnen Arts Centre opens doors on new expansion

Friday's opening of the $15 million expansion is all part of a 20-year vision for the centre and the arts in ACT, overall. What's more, while works were completed in June, the opening was put on hold due to COVID-19.

The new addition brings with it an extra 160 square metres of exhibition space, including a window gallery which is can be viewed from Emu Bank 24 hours a day and will be launched with the Dhawura Ngunnawal Dreaming pottery exhibition by Loretta Halloran.

There is also the new Pivot Gallery that has been created to showcase light-sensitive works or multimedia exhibitions such as Kamberra: Many Nations One Country, which is open to the public from Friday.

Created by Marissa McDowell and Lisa Fuller, the multimedia projections tell stories from more than 70 First Nations people from Canberra through video and audio.

"In terms of what people can expect is a program that is quite embedded in First Nations people. That was really important that moving forwards, we wanted to share that experience," Belconnen Arts Centre co-chief executive Monika McInerney said.

"At the heart of who we are and what we do is the community, and it is also about this country. So what we wanted was to start a conversation about connecting people to country."

Also opening on Friday in the centre's original gallery spaces are e v o c a t i o n, a multi-medium exhibition by Julie Bradley and It's Elementary by David Roberts, which primarily focuses on acrylic paintings.

Friday's opening night will also give some the chance to see the new theatre that, rather than being the traditional raked seating style performance area, it has been designed to be a black box space with flexible seating, to fit up to 400 people.

It is also flexible with what type of works it can host, with the option to do works such as cabaret or circus performances, as well as traditional theatre pieces.

"When looking at what gaps there were in the theatre spaces in the ACT it became really clear that there was a great opportunity to encourage the development of new kinds of work, and to support different kinds of artists in their careers and to give people new experiences that they haven't had before," Belconnen Arts Centre co-chief executive Jack Lloyd said.

"The decision to proceed with a black box space was something that we were really very excited about."

The first to take the stage in the new theatre will be Wiradjuri Echoes, who will present a short performance for a select number of people who attend Friday's opening night.

However, for those who are keen to see the new theatre in action, Mr Lloyd suggests attending one of the three upcoming development programs which will focus on the themes of Risk, Mess and Intimacy.

"Particularly with our first series of devised works we had a challenge as there's so much uncertainty with COVID," he said.

"We've invested in creative elements which will take place over a very intensive few weeks, and then presenting a work.

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"The reason why that's great is that first of all invest in the artists creating something new and even if all the rules change, you've got something at the end of it."

The first development program is L'entreprise du Risque.

French for risky business, the circus performers are set to put the new theatre's capabilities through its paces with acrobatic acts taking to the stage early next month.