From January 2017, and throughout summer, Sydney's major arts and culture institutions will stay open late on Wednesday nights. This week, Deputy Premier and Minister for the Arts Troy Grant announced the new 'Wednesday Night Culture Night' initiative, which is one of the early suggestions coming out of the freshly formed Arts & Culture Advisory Committee. Another suggestion they're hoping to implement is a all-in-one pass to Sydney's key cultural institutions.
At this point, institutions taking part in the Wednesday Night Culture Night are the Museum of Contemporary Art (who stay open til 9pm on Thursdays for Lights On Later, but will switch to Wednesday nights for summer), the Art Gallery of NSW (who are already doing Art After Hours on Wednesdays, all year round), the Australian Museum, and the State Library of NSW. But Grant says "This is just the start. We hope more cultural organisations and events get behind Wednesday Night Culture Night."
So who and what is this Arts & Culture Advisory Committee?
Announced on Sunday October 23, the group currently includes the chairs of the State cultural institutions, as well as "influential figures from across the arts and cultural sector" – including theatre-maker and Sydney Festival artistic director Wesley Enoch, filmmaker and social entrepreneur Genevieve Clay-Smith, John Kaldor (of Kaldor Public Art Projects), ARIA CEO Dan Rosen, and Campbelltown Arts Centre director Michael Dagostino.
Announced on Sunday October 23, the group currently includes the chairs of the State cultural institutions, as well as "influential figures from across the arts and cultural sector" – including theatre-maker and Sydney Festival artistic director Wesley Enoch, filmmaker and social entrepreneur Genevieve Clay-Smith, John Kaldor (of Kaldor Public Art Projects), ARIA CEO Dan Rosen, and Campbelltown Arts Centre director Michael Dagostino.
The 15-strong group (which is still being added to) also includes major patrons of the art like Gretel Packer, David Gonski and Simon Mordant.
Their remit (per the department press release) is to "help shape the policy direction and raise the profile of arts and culture in NSW," with the goal being to "dramatically improve the way the NSW Government supports and develops arts and culture."
If you can't wait until January, check out our hit list of where to see art at night in Sydney.