The Australian Government is supporting greater access to arts and cultural exhibitions for regional Australians by providing $1.9 million of funding for the Visions of Australia regional touring program.
The latest funding round will support 13 exhibitions to tour venues across Australia from January 2020. The projects will be delivered by Australian arts and cultural heritage organisations including the Institute of Modern Art, New England Regional Art Museum and remote Western Australian organisations Warmun Art Centre and Nyamba Buru Yawuru Ltd.
Minister for Communications, Cyber Safety and the Arts, the Hon Paul Fletcher MP, said the funded projects represent a diverse range of experiences, including a collaborative project between visual artists and farmers, exhibitions celebrating Australia’s rich Indigenous cultural practices, and new media art.
New England Regional Art Museum will tour Myall Creek and beyond, an exhibition that examines the the history and on-going impact of the 1838 massacre of Aboriginal people at Myall Creek, through contemporary artworks by First Nations artists. The exhibition, curated by Bianca Beetson, includes works by Robert Andrew, Fiona Foley, Julie Gough, Colin Isaacs, Jolea Isaacs, David Leha, Tim Leha and Quarralia Knox, Carol McGregor with Adele Chapman-Burgess, Avril Chapman and the community of the Myall Creek Gathering Cloak, Judy Watson and Warraba Weatherall.
Funding is also being provided to the Australian National Maritime Museum for an onshore exhibition to accompany the Museum’s replica of the HMB Endeavour on its circumnavigation of Australia. The commemorative voyage will mark 250 years since James Cook’s first voyage to Australia and the Pacific. The exhibition, commencing its tour in Geelong in March, will showcase the Indigenous experience around Australia’s shorelines.
“Exhibitions supported in the current round will reach audiences in approximately 130 venues across every state and territory, bringing arts and culture to our regional and remote communities. These activities play an important role in stimulating local economic activity, generating employment opportunities and supporting community resilience.”
Each year the Government provides around $2.4 million through Visions of Australia over two funding rounds to support exhibitions to tour regional and remote Australia and encourage curatorial and financial partnerships across the collections sector.
For more information about the program and to view the funded projects visit: www.arts.gov.au/visions
