After 46 years, the Australian Centre for Photography (ACP) will cease operating in its current form on 16 December, after which its Darlinghurst gallery and headquarters will be closed to the public.
The ACP has long played a vital role within Australian photography, having run thousands of photography courses, workshops and masterclasses since its inception, as well as commissioning, exhibiting and touring work by numerous significant Australian photographers.
Describing its closure as a “period of hibernation,” the ACP – like many other arts organisations – has faced the loss of multi-year organisational funding from state and federal governments, compounded by reduced income due to Covid-19 restrictions. Given this, ACP Chairman Michael Blomfield says, “It is clear that continuing to operate in our current form is a pathway to extinction.”
The organisation hopes to use this “hibernation” period to restructure, conduct extensive consultations, and ultimately transition to a new way of operating, with details to be finalised by July 2021.
Director and CEO Pierre Arpin says, “This is an opportune time to think about what role the ACP can continue to play in supporting the place of photography and image making in our lives.
The ACP’s current exhibition, Photostart 2020, features work by ACP students and tutors, and is on view until the closure.
Photostart 2020
Australian Centre for Photography
3 December—16 December
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