An acting director for the Papua New Guinea National Museum and Art Gallery (NMAG) will be appointed after director Dr Andrew Moutu’s contract expired on August 20, 2016.
Dr Moutu took up the position as the director for PNG NMAG in 2010.
The Office of Tourism, Arts and Culture (OTAC) is now going through the process of advertising an appointment for the position.
Minister for Tourism, Arts and Culture Tobias Kulang has directed the Board of Trustees NMAG to submit a list of three candidates to be considered by the National Executive Council for an acting appointment.
Kulang said an acting appointee will be announced in the next few days.
This is until the process for the fresh appointment will be initiated and hopefully a permanent appointee will be made public as soon as possible.
Kulang said that Dr Moutu is free to apply for the position as well.
Under Dr Moutu’s direction, the museum received $25 million (K61.9 million) from Australia in 2015 to support the upgrade of PNG’s foremost national cultural institution.
Also under his leadership, the masterplan for a new National Museum and Art Gallery was launched last year.
The museum has more than 20,000 war relics and more than 7,000 contemporary art collections in its possession.
Picture caption: Dr Moutu taking PM O’Neill for a tour of the museum during the Built on Culture Exhibition launch in September last year.