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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
Entertainment
Lara Chapman

‘The sky’s the limit’: Newcastle Art Gallery unveils its ‘divisive’ $48m expansion with a blockbuster opening show

Newcastle Art Gallery Newcastle Jeremy Bath Christian Thompson John Olsen Sydney New South Wales
Newcastle Art Gallery has finally opened to the public.
Newcastle Art Gallery has finally opened to the public after its $48m expansion project. Photograph: Matthew Carbone

On Friday night, the Newcastle Art Gallery (NAG) is throwing open its doors and filling the road and park with giant fluffy doughnuts, live music, dancing and art in a free-for-all street party – themed “industrial disco” – that has been 16 years in the making.

For the NAG team, and Novocastrians more broadly, this is a significant moment, marking the long-awaited completion of the $48m gallery expansion project, which went from being “very divisive” in the community to something that’s generating “a remarkable buzz and excitement,” according to Jeremy Bath, the CEO of Newcastle city council.

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