Gympie School of Arts

The Gympie School of Arts is yet another example of the work of architect Hugo Du Rietz. This substantial two-storey brick building opened in 1905. It now houses the Gympie Regional Gallery. The School of Arts movement can be traced to the 1820s in the UK where schools of arts and mechanics institutes were established with the intention of promoting the mental and moral improvement of the working classes. In Australia however, they were directed more towards the middle classes, with lectures on philosophy and language classes. A School of Arts indicated the prosperity of the town. The first such institute in Queensland was established in 1846. The Gympie School of Arts was initiated in 1870 by Edward Bytheway, storekeeper and later mayor. A hall was built in 1874, and while an initial attempt to merge with the Miner’s Institute was not successful, the new building – including a library - opened as the Gympie School of Arts and Technical College. The organisation continued in the education role until the establishment of TAFE and Gympie Adult Education in the 1970s. The Gympie Library and Gympie Historical Society then shared the building. The library relocated to new premises in 1995.