A BENDIGO cultural institution has attracted both central Victorians and Melbourne-tourists on its first day open in 11 weeks.
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Visitors returned to the Bendigo Art Gallery on Saturday, after a near three month long coronavirus-forced closure.
Visits looked a little different to those past. Visitors were required to book, and limited to 20 people per gallery,
The gallery opened to the public on the Saturday of the Queen's Birthday long weekend.
Fine arts student Evie Lines-Morison had travelled from Kyneton to visit Ross Taylor's Field Notes exhibition.
Ms Lines-Morison said it was surreal in a way, but the gallery was in some ways unchanged.
She said while you could live without art galleries, it was good to have them back again.
"It's just nice that they're open again. It's nice having that normalcy, something that we can do, like go to a gallery," Ms Lines-Morison said.
Bendigo Art Gallery director Jessica Bridgfoot said it was a "reawakening" of sorts to have visitors back enjoying the exhibitions.
Ms Bridgfoot said many people said they were grateful for the re-opening, booking online in advance of the visit.
"In some ways the lockdown has really highlighted to people what they truly value in life - and the arts provides a soul nourishing experience that everyone should have access to," she said.
Ms Bridgfoot said the closure had been strange in some senses, but business as usual in others.
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"In a physical sense its been strange - the gallery was kind of put into a deep sleep with precious artworks going into secure storage, dustjackets and lights off for conservation," she said.
Ms Bridgfoot said the gallery would continue to deliver online content post-COVID, much of which was launched during the shutdown.
Bendigo residents Polly Woodward and Kelly Purtil decided to visit when they saw the gallery was open on its Facebook page.
Ms Woodward tries to go to the gallery at least once a year, while Ms Purtil visits most exhibitions.
Both were excited to get out.
Ethan Xing and Karen Shen had come from Melbourne for a quick getaway.
They appreciated the picture the older paintings gave them of how Bendigo used to be.
The Bendigo Art Gallery closed in March, as the City of Greater Bendigo responded to the coronavirus pandemic.
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