Australian Art Museum Rebrands to Focus Entirely on Local Photography

The Monash Gallery of Art in Melbourne, Australia is rebranding as the Museum of Australian Photography (MAPh) to solely concentrate on the art form.

For more than 30 years, the Monash Gallery of Art (MGA) has collected and exhibited a wide range of visual art that included paintings, sculptures, and photography. However, the museum’s organizers say that since there is currently no institution in the country that specializes in photography, it will solely concentrate on that art form as part of a rebrand as the MAPh.

“Our transformation of MGA to MAPh is an incredibly significant moment in our history. It is one that celebrates the legacy of all those who have made our gallery into what it is today,” Anouska Phizacklea, Gallery Director, says.

“Our origins can be traced back to the late 1970s when the City of Waverley had the vision to found a public gallery for its community. Then in the early 1980s, we took the bold step of focusing on collecting Australian photography, becoming the only public gallery to do so in the world,” Phizacklea continues.

“Since then, MGA has established itself as the Australian home of photography and is now home to over 3,700 photographs in the collection and over that time more than 300 staff, committee members, trustees, and volunteers have collectively contributed to making it into the institution it is today.”

The shift makes the MAPh the leading museum exclusively dedicated to the collection, conservation, promotion, and exhibition of photography in the country. It also remains the only public institution in the world solely dedicated to collecting Australian photographs.

“Our new name and branding articulates what we do and reflects the value that MAPh brings to both the community and the arts sector, and one that reaches local, national and international audiences as we cultivate a community that is actively engaged with Australian photography,” Phizacklea adds.

The museum will officially shift from the MGA to the MAPh on March 19 at noon local time and will be accompanied by an art appreciation day for families at the gallery. The event is free and open to the public.

Image credits: Monash Gallery of Art, 2013 by Brendan Finn via the Museum of Australian Photography