The King Island Arts and Cultural Centre had an active winter planning and organising for a busy last quarter and coming 2024 – and – after 20 years – the name is changing.
After almost 20 years, the Arts and Cultural Centre or the more recognised “Cultural Centre” is changing its name to the King Island Gallery.
“Since the renovation of the space a few years back, the number of cultural and workshop activities has diminished and the space has focussed more on the display of items made by local creatives,” the council’s Community Development Officer Mark Wischnat said.
“The gallery will now become a dedicated space for viewing, learning and sales,” he said.
“Fortunately, we have two studio spaces, the wharf studio, and the previous porcelain painters’ studio in Meech Street, that are now available for workshops and activities.
“The council will hold a launch event, with a local exhibition to celebrate the new direction and name change in mid-November.”
Other developments include a refocus on local and visiting exhibitions.
“We learnt from the nature photography exhibition in April that locals want to see new work at the centre and that we need a process to respond to exhibition enquiries from off-island artists and to develop a calendar of exhibitions and activities,” he said.
“To present a broader range of exhibitions, we are introducing a simple call-out process that includes a small group that will help plan, make decisions, and curate an exhibition calendar. Eventually, we will move to an annual call-out similar to the Artist Residency program which has worked smoothly for the last few years and is developing a strong reputation.
“We would ideally like to present four to five exhibitions throughout the year, with half being local creatives or community art activities,” Mark said.
Other works in the pipeline include the development of a standalone website for the gallery, added support for volunteers, two new exhibitions and the two studio spaces that will be available for the community to access.
The extremely popular Artist Residency program is currently open for 2024 residency applications.
“The program is receiving strong enquiries from across Australia ahead of the October 1 closing date.
“We will announce the successful 2024 artists at the mid-November launch.”
Island creators are encouraged to hold an exhibition of their work in 2024. The King Island Council website kingisland.tas.gov.au has more information and a simple form to complete. The closing date for the exhibition Expression of Interest is October 9.
“If you are interested in an exhibition, want to display new work in the gallery or are keen to spend a couple of hours each week or fortnight surrounded by art, we are always looking for volunteers and would love to have a chat about what would work for you.” Contact Community Development Officer Mark Wischnat on 64629000.