SYDNEY.- The Museum of Contemporary Art Australia announced today that it has welcomed over 1 million visitors for the fourth consecutive year in a row positioning the Museum as the most visited contemporary art museum in the world. Since 2015, the MCA has attracted over a million people annually, these figures surpass those of international institutions such as the New Museum in New York, MCA Chicago, MoCA in Los Angeles, Serpentine Galleries in London and Ullens Centre in Beijing.

"The MCA is thrilled to see visitors responding so enthusiastically to our collection, learning, education and public programs" said MCA Director, Elizabeth Ann Macgregor OBE. "One of our biggest priorities is to make challenging work accessible to broader audiences. It’s immensely important to us that visitors from all backgrounds feel welcomed into the Museum, and I believe these numbers reflect that we are achieving this mission,” Macgregor added.

The MCA continues to be one of Sydney’s most visited attractions to local and international audiences. In 2018, the MCA proved to be a popular institution for local audiences with 43% of overall attendance coming from Sydney, international visitors accounted for 40% of the Museum's attendees, while 14% were from interstate.

The Museum’s increased attendance figures can also be attributed to the $53-million-dollar expansion which took place in 2012, by adding a new five-storey wing with learning facilities, lecture theatre and a rooftop cafe, the MCA increased its floor space by 50% seeing a noticeable growth in attendance by 31%.

MCA Chairman, Simon Mordant AM, commented, “The MCA continues to exceed one million people driven through ambitious exhibitions and public programming where contemporary Australian artists, alongside international artists, contribute and respond to current critical debates. In keeping the MCA free our institution has the opportunity to go beyond the art audience to reach a wider community.”

The MCA’s exhibition program remains a steady drawcard for visitation. In 2018, the MCA Collection exhibition saw the highest attendance with numbers nearly reaching 500,000 visitors. A diverse exhibition program including a mix of contemporary Australian and international artists, John Mawurndjul: I am the old and the new, Primavera 2018: Young Australian Artists and Sun Xun, drove an overall attendance of 380,000. Contributing to the high attendance figures was the 2018 Sydney International Art Series blockbuster exhibition Pipilotti Rist: Sip my Ocean which had a staggering 115,000 visitors.

Through a wide-range of engaging learning and public programs, the MCA held 2,650 programs resulting in a total of close to 91,500 participants: 54,000 visitors attending public programs; 4,500 young people enjoyed 96 events; and 5,000 participants of all ages with disability and access requirements attended various events.

The National Centre of Creative Learning (NCCL) continues to provide tailored creative learning programs and online resources to support student and teacher engagement with MCA Collection and Exhibitions. Last year, MCA Artist Educators facilitated 985 gallery experiences, hands-on workshops and online learning programs that encouraged 27,000 students and teachers to look and think about Australian contemporary art in new ways.

Other notable achievements, the MCA was voted Most Loved Local Cultural Institution by Time Out Sydney; John Mawurndjul: I am the old and the new was awarded with The Monthly 2018 Award for the Best Exhibition; #whatsyourmca brand campaign executed in partnership with Ogilvy Sydney won the London International Design Award and Bronze Lion Award at the 2018 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity; MCA’s C3West won an Imagine Award for the Blacktown Native Institution Project; and John Mawurndjul micro-site has been named as a finalist for the 2019 GLAMi Awards for the Best Exhibition and Collection Website.

The MCA continues to bring world-class exhibitions to Sydney working living artists to showcase contemporary art on a global stage. Current exhibitions on display are The National 2019: New Australian Art, Janet Laurence: After Nature and MCA Collection: Today Tomorrow Yesterday. Upcoming exhibitions include Shaun Gladwell, Guan Wei, Primavera 2019 and Sydney International Art Series 2019 with British artist Cornelia Parker.