Best of Australian art to tour the country

Arts lovers from across the country will be treated to some of Australia's most exciting and innovative art exhibitions as a result of Federal Government funding.

Federal Arts Minister Simon Crean has announced more than $1.7 million in funding for art exhibitions to tour around Australia from 2012 to 2016.

Minister Crean explained "communities from regional areas such as Dubbo, Ararat, Burnie and Caboolture will have the opportunity to see some of Australia's top visual arts exhibitions.

"Australia's art and culture belongs to us all and the Federal Government is committed to ensuring that Australians, no matter where they live, have equal opportunity to access and engage with our rich cultural heritage.

"Our culture is our identity and by supporting these exhibitions to tour Australia we are not only increasing the liveability and vibrancy of our cities and regions we are strengthening economies and boosting local tourism.

"A must see exhibition is Made in China, Australia, a Contemporary Arts Services Tasmania exhibition which presents works by Chinese Australian artists exploring how the process of acculturation has impacted on the artist's work.

"This exhibition is particularly timely given the recent release of the Australia in the Asian Century White Paper and builds on Australia's cultural exchange and engagement with Asian nations."

Funded under the Australian Government's Visions of Australia and Contemporary Touring Initiative programs, the grants will provide for 11 exhibitions to tour Australia, including many regional destinations, and six exhibitions to be developed for touring.

The 17 exhibitions to receive funding are:

Contemporary Touring Initiative
$199,646 for the National Gallery of Australia to tour undisclosed: 2nd National Indigenous Art Triennial to New South Wales, South Australia and Queensland.
$47,885 for Contemporary Art Services Tasmania to tour Made in China, Australia to Victoria, South Australia, New South Wales, Queensland and Tasmania.
$109,230 for Object: Australian Design Culture to develop Resolved: journeys in Australian 

Design for touring
$88,663 for JamFactory Contemporary Craft and Design to tour Stephen Bowers: Beyond Bravura to South Australia, Queensland, New South Wales, Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory and Victoria.
$46,180 for the Ian Potter Museum of Art to develop The world is not a foreign land: new perspectives in contemporary Indigenous practice for touring.
$72,420 for the Australian War Memorial to tour After Afghanistan - Ben Quilty to New South Wales, South Australia and Queensland.

Visions of Australia
$154,179 for Country Arts SA to tour Designing Craft/Crafting Design: 40 Years of JamFactory to South Australia, Queensland, New South Wales, the Australian Capital Territory, Tasmania and Victoria.
$114,201 for the National Gallery of Australia to tour Capital Country: The Federation Years 1900–1913 to the Northern Territory, South Australia, Victoria, Tasmania, New South Wales, the Australian Capital Territory and Queensland.
$177,359 for the Australian War Memorial to tour Nurses: from Zululand to Afghanistan to South Australia, the Northern Territory, Tasmania, Western Australia, New South Wales and Queensland.
$80,000 for the South Australian Maritime Museum to develop Life and Death in the Age of Sail for touring.
$71,000 for the Maitland Regional Art Gallery to tour Creative Power: The art of George Baldessin to Queensland, Victoria and New South Wales.
$44,500 for the National Gallery of Australia to develop Bodywork: Australian jewellery 1971–2010 for touring.
$35,300 for the Bathurst Regional Art Gallery to develop Re-Figuring Dystopia: The art of Richard Goodwin for touring.
$208,711 for Artisan-idea:skill:product to tour The Antipodean Steampunk Show to New South Wales, Western Australia and Queensland.
$76,400 for Experimenta Media Arts to tour Experimenta Speak to me to Victoria, New South Wales, Tasmania and Queensland.
$80,000 for the Museum of Victoria to tour The Art of Science: Remarkable natural history illustrations to Victoria, New South Wales and South Australia.
$176,200 for the Museum of Contemporary Art to tour Exposure: Photography from the Collections to Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland.

On 22nd August, Minister Crean announced the transfer of future rounds of Visions of Australia and the Contemporary Touring Initiative to the Australia Council. 

Applications for funding for tours commencing from 1st July 2013 are now open through the Australia Council.

For more information go to http://bit.ly/TDAH1Z