CALLING UNREPRESENTED TASMANIAN ARTISTS

THE ARTBANK ROADSHOW COMES TO HOBART FRIDAY 10 JUNE 2016

ARTBANK LAUNCHES ‘THE ARTBANK ROADSHOW’
TO SUPPORT FUTURE TALENT

One Friday 10 June, The Artbank Roadshow will launch its national tour with the first stop in Hobart. This unprecedented new initiative that will provide unrepresented Australian visual artists with the opportunity to have their artwork seen and possibly acquired for the Artbank collection, one of the largest collections of Australian contemporary art in the world. The Artbank Roadshow will see Artbank visit twelve metropolitan and regional locations around Australia between June 2016 and June 2017; meeting with artists in short 20 minute appointments to give artists the chance to ‘pitch’ their work. The meetings on June 10 will take place at the Tasmanian College of the Arts, and artists must register at artbank.gov.au/roadshow

The Artbank collection includes some of the finest examples of Indigenous and non-Indigenous contemporary artwork produced over the past four decades. As the largest collector of Australian art in the country, Artbank’s support for artists is often applied early in their careers, with further acquisitions made at regular intervals to form an extensive and constantly evolving collection of Australian contemporary art. The Artbank Roadshow will enable artists who do not have commercial gallery representation to introduce/reintroduce themselves to Artbank and pitch their work – with the possibility of it being acquired for the Artbank collection.

Says Tony Stephens of the initiative: “The Artbank collection is unique in that it represents possibly the most comprehensive cross-section of Australian contemporary art practice – year in, year out. This initiative will ensure Artbank’s support for Australian visual artists extends beyond those who have commercial representation and in doing so, assists us to continue building a significant public collection of Australian art that is truly representative of Australian cultural practice.”

Key dates and the locations for the Artbank Roadshow are:

• Hobart June 2016
• Cairns July 2016
• Brisbane July 2016
• Darwin August 2016
• Alice Spring September 2016
• Sydney October 2016
• Newcastle November 2016
• Adelaide February 2017
• Melbourne March 2017
• Kandos April 2017
• Perth May 2017
• Canberra June 2017

About Artbank
For over 35 years, Artbank has been at the forefront of the Australian contemporary art sector. Established in 1980 as a federal government support program, Artbank provides direct support to Australian contemporary artists through the acquisition of their work and promotes the value of Australian contemporary art to the broader public. Artbank funds its operations through a unique leasing programme; working with individuals, companies, governments and embassies in over seventy countries across the globe. With approximately 10,000 works by over 3,500 artists, Artbank holds one of the largest collections of Australian contemporary art in the world, which includes some of the best examples of Indigenous and non-Indigenous artwork produced over the past four decades. As the largest collector of Australian art in the country, Artbank’s support for artists is often applied early in their careers, with further acquisitions made at regular intervals to form an extensive and constantly evolving collection of Australian contemporary art.
Naomi Parry