NEWS Art boss quits as tensions simmer

THE long-term future of a prominent Darwin gallery is uncertain after the director walked out amid ongoing funding issues.

Maurice O’Riordan told ArtsHub he quit the Northern Centre for Contemporary Art because of a lack of board transparency and troubled relations within Arts NT.

However, board chairman Colin McDonald said he was “mystified” by the comments.

“I certainly don’t share his view and the board has always had a good relationship with Arts NT,” he said.

“I’m confident, with goodwill on all sides, the NCCA can continue and give to the community as it has for over 27 years.”

Mr McDonald said the notfor-profit gallery was still struggling after losing funding from the Federal Government but assured patrons there would be no interruption to exhibitions planned for the immediate future.

“The reality is, NCCA needs increased funding,” he said.

“We’re not talking big sums but we need increased funding to be able to go in a strategic direction in the future.

“(The loss of funding) led to a number of reductions in staff and cost-cutting, but there’s a limit to how much you can trim.”

An independent auditor has looked over the books at NCCA and is expected to report to the arts department next week.

Department of Tourism and Culture chief executive Alistair Shields said the NCCA board was working with the department.

“The NCCA is currently going through a period of change and the board is working with this department to ensure the NCCA continues as a strong, leading arts organisation,” he said

“The Department of Tourism and Culture provided the NCCA with $135k towards its operations and program delivery for 2017 and the DTC will continue to support the NCCA during this period.”

Mr O’Riordan did not return calls for comment.