2011 was the busiest year yet for Tasmanian Regional Arts with over 186,000 people engaging in the organisations activities.

Following on from TRA’s successful staging of the 2010 Regional Arts Australia Conference in Launceston, TRA delivered an exciting program of festival, exhibitions, workshops, performances, professional development activities and funding opportunities across Tasmania.

‘The year was a major milestone in the organisations history in terms of what we provided. From the vitally important support that TRA’s volunteer network of branches provides to local arts and cultural development right through to major arts activities such as the Junction Arts Festival, TRA has certainly made sure that arts and culture are accessible to all Tasmanians’ said TRA State President Lee Cole.

Some of the key achievements by TRA in 2011 include:

• Staging of the inaugural Junction Arts Festival in Launceston, featuring 27 events over five days involving 385 artists and engaging over 54,000 audience members.
• Delivering the Open Your Eyes Cultural Tourism Event through three arts trails across ten local government areas in the state’s south, featuring 8 workshops, 13 free arts events, I state conference and 16 individual artist studio openings that attracted 3,000 visitors.
• Completed three year ground breaking action research work into how social enterprise and the arts operate in Tasmania through our Branching Out Project.
• Successfully managed stage one of The Dance Project, a cross generational statewide community dance initiative involving three dance companies in ten locations.
• The TRA touring program of exhibitions, films and performances.
• Running the Regional Arts Fund program, providing funds of $213,603 in support to 63 artists and projects throughout Tasmania; and
• Delivered two focused state wide exhibition projects – RACT Insurance Tasmanian Youth Portraiture Prize and Material Girl.

‘The level of activity achieved by TRA and our members and partners is nothing short of incredible for a small regionally based arts organisation. Over 61,000 people attended local TRA branch activities. 15 touring shows reached out to 115 venues around the state. Over 2000 artists were involved in TRA projects and TRA partnered with over 450 organisations, Councils business and groups to deliver its programs’ added Mr Cole.

While 2011 was a bumper year, the organisation is not resting on its laurels. 2012 will see TRA continue to provide projects, funding and support services to regional communities while assisting local artists to excite and inspire their communities through arts and culture.

Additional material available via http://www.tasregionalarts.org.au/assets/Tasmanian_Regional_ArtsTasmanian_Regional_Arts_2011_Annual_Report_Complete_for_Distribution.pdf
Tasmanian Regional Arts