Canberra’s National Gallery of Australia has a special place in the hearts of Canberrans and Australians more widely. Opened in 1982 and recognised for its heritage values through its addition to the National Heritage List in 2007 as part of the High Court-National Gallery Precinct, this project sought to identify the social values and community-held aesthetic values of the building, its internal spaces and setting (but not the collection). Context’s work contributed to the overall Conservation Management Plan being developed by Duncan Marshall as the principal consultant. Context concluded that the NGA is of aesthetic significance for the visual and experiential qualities embodied in the building, Sculpture Garden and setting that evoke an emotive, aesthetic response from a community of visitors, staff and guides. As part of a wider precinct the NGA is of aesthetic and social significance serving as a symbolic marker of a cultural maturing of the nation, and as an expression of cultural identity; the NGA was also recognised as being of social significance to Canberrans as a familiar, often-visited place that forms part of the cultural life of this community, and the Sculpture Garden for its enduring community associations as a place for contemplation and respite, and as a well-loved place for personal and family events and gatherings. [Source: Context Pty Ltd]

The National Gallery of Australia currently has a draft National Gallery and Sculpture Garden Conservation Management Plan (2019).