How the vibrant HOTA arts precinct is making waves on the Gold Coast

Contact went behind the scenes with a few UQ alumni at HOTA (Home of the Arts) on the Gold Coast to learn how they’re building a community and creating an unmissable arts destination in the middle of paradise.

If you live on Gold Coast, you’re likely already familiar with the colourful, sprawling creative pavilion now known as HOTA in Surfers Paradise.

For more than 20 years, this public site has been slowly evolving into an arts precinct with an enviable list of assets: a world-class gallery with a growing collection of contemporary Australian art, indoor and outdoor theatres hosting everything from ballet to world-famous musical acts, a cinema showing blockbusters and arthouse gems, a Children’s Gallery with free family programs, sprawling Sunday markets, an outdoor adventure trail, and a swimmable, sandy-shored lake. If that isn’t enough, there’s plenty to eat; take your pick from a hatted fine diner, a café, and a rooftop bar with spectacular views.

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In 2020, with the completion of the neon-tessellated HOTA Gallery building, the precinct came into its own as a bona fide recreational attraction for locals and tourists alike. But HOTA wasn’t built in a day – a team of passionate people have been working tirelessly to bring this vision to life. Contact spoke to some of them during a special behind-the scenes visit, the latest stop on the UQ Regional Roadshow.

An image of HOTA Director of Operations and Transformations Anna Carroll with the Surfers Paradise skyline in the background..

HOTA Director of Operations and Transformations Anna Carroll. Image: David Kelly

Anna Carroll (Master of Public Administration ’00) is the Director of Operations and Transformations at HOTA. Ms Carroll’s remit is to bring the logistics of running a major arts centre together with the bigger picture of the organisation’s mission.

“We tend to start the day checking what happened overnight – making sure that we sold enough coffee and cake so that we can keep funding our artists and artworks,” she said.

Ms Carroll joined HOTA in 2015 after roles in government and infrastructure, including as a project director for the Gold Coast Light Rail project. She’s no stranger to a challenge, having taken on her UQ postgraduate degree while working in a demanding Commonwealth Government role.

“I had a rural and regional health portfolio, so I was often travelling,” she said.

“I spent many a night in a motel room – and this is before wi-fi – trying to access literature for those weekly assignments that were due.”

She relished the pressure, believing that if you’re looking for higher studies, it shouldn’t be easy.

“It should be about digging deep, learning, understanding, getting out of your comfort zone.”

Anna Carroll graduated from UQ with a Master of Public Administration. *Image: David Kelly*

Anna Carroll graduated from UQ with a Master of Public Administration. *Image: David Kelly*

Ms Carroll has had a roundabout journey to finding her home on the Gold Coast. Born in Rockhampton, she spent parts of her life in Brisbane, Toowoomba, and Ipswich.

It’s no surprise, though, that she’s ended up where she has.

“I'm a regional girl. I think there's something about that small town and community that appeals to me. I've enjoyed working on policies, or places or projects, that are about making change and making a community better.”

So how is Ms Carroll making this happen at HOTA? Well, she takes seriously the organisation’s promise – made clear in its name – to provide a home for artists of all stripes.

“It's very visible with the infrastructure, but it's a lot deeper than that. It's about providing opportunities for artists to have somewhere to produce work, and to have the courage to explore and provide new ideas.”

Ms Carroll is also a true believer in the motto, ‘you can’t be what you can’t see’, and wants to showcase a world of creative opportunity to young people in the local community. For her, this makes all the hard work behind the scenes worthwhile.

“It’s not easy and it's not cheap to create these experiences. However, sometimes the value of them is immeasurable, in ways we might not see for years to come.”

An image of HOTA Children’s Gallery Coordinator Jodi Ferrari sitting on a chair inside the HOTA Gallery.

HOTA Children’s Gallery Coordinator Jodi Ferrari. Image: David Kelly

Jodi Ferrari (Bachelor of Arts ’97) is another passionate advocate for the importance of getting kids into the arts. She’s the Coordinator of HOTA’s Children’s Gallery, a dedicated family space that’s all about bringing young people into the gallery, making them feel comfortable with the gallery environment and sparking a lifelong love of art.

Ms Ferrari need look no further than her own childhood for evidence of the difference an encounter with the arts can make – a school visit to a museum changed her life at a young age.

“Setting foot inside the Queensland Art Gallery as part of that excursion was quite a transformative experience for me,” she said, explaining that it inspired her to start volunteering at her local regional gallery, which in turn inspired her to pursue a career in the sector via study at UQ.

Ms Ferrari said studying under leading art history scholars like Honorary Professors Nancy Underhill and Rex Butler set her up perfectly for a diverse career in the gallery sector.

She now spends her days working with artists to translate their work into interactive, play-centric exhibitions.

“We're really about creating fun, immersive experiences that aren't just for the children, but for the adults as well,” she said.

For Ms Ferrari, it’s fun work with a meaningful purpose: giving young visitors and their families an opportunity to “enter into that artist's world”.

Like Ms Carroll, Ms Ferrari is a Gold Coast import, having moved around Australia before settling there with her family.

“This is actually the place I've lived in the longest in my life. And I really do love that I'm raising a family here and I feel really excited about the future, especially with this cultural precinct and everything it has to offer.”

With more than 20 years’ experience in regional galleries, Ms Ferrari understands the transformative impact that a facility like HOTA Gallery can have for a regional city. But she’s quick to point out that the Gold Coast is more developed than many.

“We’re the sixth largest city in Australia, and I feel like finally having a gallery of this scale as part of the wider cultural precinct is really what this city deserves.”

A sequence of three images of Children’s Gallery Coordinator Jodi Ferrari posing in front of a colourful wall space inside the Children's Gallery at HOTA.

Jodi Ferrari said an important part of her job was creating fun, immersive experiences for the whole family. Image: David Kelly

Jodi Ferrari (Bachelor of Arts ’97) is another passionate advocate for the importance of getting kids into the arts. She’s the Coordinator of HOTA’s Children’s Gallery, a dedicated family space that’s all about bringing young people into the gallery, making them feel comfortable with the gallery environment and sparking a lifelong love of art.

Ms Ferrari need look no further than her own childhood for evidence of the difference an encounter with the arts can make – a school visit to a museum changed her life at a young age.

“Setting foot inside the Queensland Art Gallery as part of that excursion was quite a transformative experience for me,” she said, explaining that it inspired her to start volunteering at her local regional gallery, which in turn inspired her to pursue a career in the sector via study at UQ.

Ms Ferrari said studying under leading art history scholars like Honorary Professors Nancy Underhill and Rex Butler set her up perfectly for a diverse career in the gallery sector.

She now spends her days working with artists to translate their work into interactive, play-centric exhibitions.

Jodi Ferrari said an important part of her job was creating fun, immersive experiences for the whole family. *Image: David Kelly*

Jodi Ferrari said an important part of her job was creating fun, immersive experiences for the whole family. *Image: David Kelly*

“We're really about creating fun, immersive experiences that aren't just for the children, but for the adults as well,” she said.

For Ms Ferrari, it’s fun work with a meaningful purpose: giving young visitors and their families an opportunity to “enter into that artist's world”.

Like Ms Carroll, Ms Ferrari is a Gold Coast import, having moved around Australia before settling there with her family.

“This is actually the place I've lived in the longest in my life. And I really do love that I'm raising a family here and I feel really excited about the future, especially with this cultural precinct and everything it has to offer.”

With more than 20 years’ experience in regional galleries, Ms Ferrari understands the transformative impact that a facility like HOTA Gallery can have for a regional city. But she’s quick to point out that the Gold Coast is more developed than many.

“We’re the sixth largest city in Australia, and I feel like finally having a gallery of this scale as part of the wider cultural precinct is really what this city deserves.”

An image of Jodi Ferrari and Anna Carroll on the outdoor stage at HOTA.

It’s not just HOTA’s family of dedicated staff celebrating its latest transformations. Queensland Ballet is building a unique partnership with HOTA as its new ‘home away from home’ on the Gold Coast.

The most recent outcome of this collaboration was Moonlight Ballet, a family-friendly performance on HOTA’s outdoor stage, where guests were able to picnic under the stars while taking in a ballet double-bill inspired by the music of the 1960s.

UQ alum and UQ Senate Member Julieanne Alroe (Bachelor of Economics ’75) is the Chair of Queensland Ballet. As a former executive with over 40 years’ experience in aviation, regional community engagement is very much on her radar.

“We are always looking for ways to bring Queensland Ballet to audiences outside Brisbane,” she said.

Queensland Ballet Chair and UQ alum Julieanne Alroe.

Queensland Ballet Chair and UQ alum Julieanne Alroe.

“It’s also a perfect opportunity to introduce a new audience to the joys of ballet. Moonlight Ballet provides younger and more casual patrons an opportunity to experience ballet in a relaxed and accessible environment.

“Hopefully, the partnership helps promote and expand the HOTA product and adds to the entertainment offerings of the Gold Coast for both residents and visitors.”

True to form, the team at HOTA isn’t resting on its laurels. They’ve recently announced a world-exclusive exhibition of 1960s Pop Art. It’s HOTA’s first international blockbuster show and will feature artists such as Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat.

With yet another game-changing project on the horizon, there’s so much to celebrate about this burgeoning creative hub, but Ms Ferrari is focused on the bigger picture.

“Having worked in regional art galleries, I know that they are throughout this country and they're amazing,” she said.

“Everyone should keep this in mind when travelling across the country and consider making a visit to a regional gallery part of your holiday experience.

“You're absolutely going to discover some treasures there.”

Celebrating regional Queensland

Find out more about UQ’s Regional Roadshows and how the University is breaking down the barriers to a higher education for students across regional and remote Queensland through The Queensland Commitment.