Thursday 4 March 2021
Last year, in responding to the necessary public health restrictions required to manage COVID-19, Abbotsford Convent put c3 Contemporary Art Space and its program into hibernation from late April 2020. In navigating the ongoing negative impacts of the pandemic on the Convent’s operations, we have come to the difficult, unavoidable decision to close c3.
The decision to close c3 has been incredibly challenging—since its inception in 2008, so much has been achieved over the gallery’s remarkable history. However, to sustain our beloved precinct and serve our many and diverse stakeholders into the future, we’ve needed to make some critical choices.
On the closure, Abbotsford Convent Foundation CEO Collette Brennan said, “The Convent is a proudly arts and community-focused organisation and like many arts and cultural institutions around the country, and indeed the world, we have been hit extremely hard by COVID-19. As part of safeguarding this precious precinct for generations to come, the closing of c3 has been unavoidable. The Convent exists to transform people’s lives through diverse cultural and creative experiences. And as we recover from the pandemic, and look to our post-pandemic future, we remain committed to curating an ambitious arts and cultural program that features more diverse arts experiences for more people, more often.”
The Convent acknowledges c3’s visionary, devoted founding Director Jon Butt, c3’s dedicated committee members, exhibiting artists, donors and supporters, volunteers, and founding CEO Maggie Maguire OAM. We would also like to thank the community for its ongoing support and empathy as the Convent and the community, especially artists, navigate many challenges during this difficult time.
The Convent is presently undertaking a new Master Plan, and this provides an opportunity for strategic thinking around how the Convent’s diverse precinct, including the c3 space, will be used in the future.
