12 November 2013

The President of the AGNSW, Mr Steven Lowy AM, today welcomed Mr James Packer’s decision to pledge $60 million to support the arts in NSW.

This generous and unexpected donation is a great vote of confidence in the role that cultural institutions play in our city, Mr Lowy said.

Mr Packer knows that visitors to his new resort will also want to experience everything that Sydney has to offer and that includes our art museums and performing arts organisations.

Commercial operations like the Crown Resort and cultural institutions like the Art Gallery of NSW can play a complementary role in attracting visitors to Sydney and ensuring they have a memorable experience while they are here.

The director of the AGNSW, Dr Michael Brand, also welcomed the decision by Crown to invest in cultural activities across Sydney.

As well as strengthening our ability to serve our visitors in the Domain, this gift will allow us to proceed with new ways of engaging with western Sydney. We look forward to working with Crown to bring some of these ideas to life.