The Perk Tucker Art Gallery is located in the heart of Townsville, at the eastern end of Flinders Street. Today the gallery exhibits over 2,000 works of art from North Queensland and the surrounding tropical region. You can explore contemporary art from Queensland and Papua New Guinea, learn about local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art, and view works by popular artists. In addition to the permanent exhibitions, the gallery regularly hosts a variety of art workshops, lectures, seminars, artist talks and theatrical performances.
Every two years, the gallery organises a unique event, Ephemera, which takes place over 10 days in September. During this time, Townsville's main promenade, the Strand, is transformed into an exhibition hall: a variety of sculptures are arranged along a 2 kilometre strip of surf right out in the open air.
The building that now houses the gallery was built in 1885 by the United Bank of Australia for its northern branch. The building was originally one storey, but a second storey was added in the early 1930s. In 1980, Townsville City Council purchased the historic building for the first art gallery in the city. And in 1981, the Art Gallery was inaugurated to the public - it was named in honour of Alderman Perk Tucker, who was Mayor of Townsville from 1976 to 1980.
