WA Museum to re-open and redefine standards

With a budget of almost $400M, the transformed WA Museum not only looks light and open, but champions a new era of museums that are transparent, inclusive and environmentally conscious.

In 1997, with the opening of architect Frank Gehry’s Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, a new phenomenon was born: ‘The Bilbao Effect’.

It refers to destination architecture which draws tourists in swarms to experience a building, and in turn the building’s collection. What followed was a new generation of cultural institutions worldwide redefining themselves through a more 21st century lens of engagement.

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Gina Fairley is ArtsHub's National Visual Arts Editor. For a decade she worked as a freelance writer and curator across Southeast Asia and was previously the Regional Contributing Editor for Hong Kong based magazines Asian Art News and World Sculpture News. Prior to writing she worked as an arts manager in America and Australia for 14 years, including the regional gallery, biennale and commercial sectors. She is based in Mittagong, regional NSW. Twitter: @ginafairley Instagram: fairleygina