The Gunnery Transformation

Project at a glance

The Gunnery Transformation Project was completed in 2023 and opened to the public on 15 December 2023.

The Gunnery is a three-storey State Heritage building on Sydney Harbour in Woolloomooloo. It's close to the Art Gallery of NSW, the Museum of Contemporary Art, and galleries and colleges in East Sydney and Paddington. Built around 1900, it has had many lives including as a bulk store for the Sydney Morning Herald, a gunnery and trainee centre during World War 2. It was also a squat in the 1980s and the home of Artspace since 1992.

The Gunnery is now transformed to be a contemporary art facility with expanded exhibition spaces, increased artist studios, multi-use spaces for education and digital connectivity, and a greater connection to the local neighbourhood and Sydney Harbour Foreshore. The upgrade will also improve accessibility and meet the needs of artists and the community at this important hub.

Who is it for

The Gunnery building forms part of the cultural ribbon which links several arts and cultural institutions in Sydney. The Gunnery has been home to Artspace for 30 years.

Artspace began in 1983 as a gallery run by artists. Its focus was on showing new and experimental art in an important way. In 1992, Artspace moved to The Gunnery in response to the increase in demand by artists.

Artspace is one of Australia's leading interdisciplinary spaces for the production and presentation of contemporary art. Through exhibitions, performances, artist studios and public programs, Artspace is where artists of all generations test their new ideas and shape public conversation. Committed to experimentation, collaboration and advocacy, Artspace's mission is to enhance our culture through a deeper engagement with contemporary art.

Special features

The Gunnery building has been revitalised, improving its visibility and connection to the public, and allowing Artspace to continue its important work in the contemporary art field locally, nationally, and globally. By increasing the building's visibility and connection to the public domain, Artspace is able to grow, have broader outreach, and fully use this important public asset. 

The design removed layers of non-original, unsympathetic, and redundant building elements to bring the building back to a more original state. The building entrance is now reoriented to open onto Forbes Street Plaza. Accessibility has been improved throughout the refurbished building. 

The Gunnery transformation project included:

• Restoration and upgrade of all three floors and enhanced public access
• Larger exhibition galleries on the ground floor and additional project spaces throughout the building
• New facilities on the first floor for learning, outreach, digital broadcast, performances, and public programs
• Three new artist studios, increasing the number of studios from seven to 10
• Improved back-of-house facilities including new offices, a catering kitchen and a production workshop
• Renewed critical infrastructure, including integrated services and a new roof.
• Interior upgrades to fittings, furniture, and equipment
• Fit-out for the new 250m² multipurpose space, archive and learning studio
• Landmarking banners and signage to activate the building’s exterior.

The result of the transformation project is a building that is welcoming, accessible, flexible, and supports Artspace to facilitate a range of artistic and community activities into the future.

Who is involved

The Gunnery Transformation was a collaborative project involving:

• Create NSW, who provided funding, guidance and other support
• Artspace
• NSW Public Works, as the project Delivery Manager
• DunnHillam, project Architects
• FDC, as the Managing Contractor.

Timeline

Completed in late 2023.

Find out more at Artspace

For details about what's on, visit Artspace