Minister for the Arts Joy Burch recently announced the much loved public artwork On the Staircase will be relocated to the Gorman House Arts Centre later this year. Ms Burch said the artwork by Danish artist Keld Moseholm will be moved to the Gorman House Arts Centre eastern courtyard near the ACT Writers Centre by the end of August 2015.
“Since it was first installed in Petrie Plaza in 2009, this particular piece of public art has received a lot of attention from the community – a little too much attention in some cases,” Ms Burch said. On The Stairs was removed from Petrie Plaza last November for repairs Ms Burch explained that was when it was decided to find a new, more secure home for On the Staircase, where it would still be accessible.
“The sculpture is about reflecting on what reading can do for us as individuals, and the benefits of reading broadly. It will be right at home near the ACT Writers Centre, which is dedicated to helping Canberrans reach their full potential as writers. It will also be in the company of a number of the ACT’s key arts organisations, smaller arts groups and individual artists, and visited regularly by members of the community, as Gorman House is further developed as a central multi-arts hub.” Ms Burch commented.

Ms Burch went on to point out that the 2013-14 ACT Budget allocated $1 million over two years to develop Gorman House as a multi-arts hub to encourage and facilitate sharing of administration and resources. Construction works are currently underway to provide artists with improved working environments, better amenities, greater opportunities for interaction, sharing and collaboration, and increased visibility of their programs and activities.