SLV receives $8m donation for new gallery

The State Library of Victoria (SLV) has received a donation of eight million dollars to fund a new exhibition space, reports the Age.

The donation is one of the largest in the SLV’s 160-year history, and comes from library chairman and investment banker John Wylie, and his wife, French consul Myriam Boisbouvier-Wylie.

The new exhibition space, the Victoria Gallery, will focus on the history of the state and allow more works to go on display instead of being consigned to storage.

Wylie said that the SLV is ‘the keeper of Victoria’s collective memory, a bridge from one generation to the next. We have many amazing, educational and culturally significant treasures here at the library. It’s just hard to find them today.’

The Victoria Gallery is expected to host items such as the 5000-signature 1853 gold miners’ petition, art by Aboriginal elder William Barak, and first-hand accounts of the Eureka Stockade. The gallery will also have interactive and multimedia elements with the aim of engaging visitors.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews welcomed the donation. ‘The Victoria Gallery will help bring to life the State Library’s many collections, drawing locals and tourists alike to one of our most treasured institutions,’ said Andrews. ‘[The Victoria Gallery] will be a place where the library’s unique treasures, the best of the best, will be displayed.’

Category: Library news