• Arts and wellbeing
• Visual arts touring
• Performing arts touring
• Branching Out
• Material Girl
• Tasmanian Youth Portraiture Prize
• RAA Volunteer Awards

Projects

TRA’s Board and Executive develop strategic project directions that support multiyear community arts and cultural development projects. In 2007 and 2008, the major focuses of our projects were arts and well being and youth arts.

In 2009 TRA is engaged in several innovative projects,including:


Regional Arts Australia (RAA)conferences are now Australia’s most awaited and largest arts conference/festivals.

The seventh biennial Regional Arts Australia national conference will be presented by Regional Arts Australia and Tasmanian Regional Arts, in collaboration with the host community of Launceston, from 26-29 August 2010.

The 2010 RAA conference continues the tradition of providing an experience that is ‘part conference past festival – all art’. Central to the conference’s broad appeal is its creative or artistic program. The artistic program has grown in significance as a creative event complementary in nature to the traditional conference activity. Each biennial conference’s associated artistic program has continued to support development of new work across all art forms; provided new audiences for emergent work; generated flow on employment of artists and/or further touring of artworks or performances; and raised the profile and awareness of the quality and diversity of regional arts practices.

Key contact personnel attached to the RAA 2010 conference are:

TRA Conference Coordinator - Angela Driver 0409 146 978 or by email
Artistic Director - Ian Pidd 0417 033 109 or by email
TRA Executive Director - Paul Jenkins 0400 996 897 or by email
Regional Arts Australia Director - Ruth Smiles on 0421 611 715 or by email

A Map of a Dream of the Future (AMDF)

AMDF engages young people, new media practices, community cultural development work and Island life in a blend of creative activity leading to the 2010 Regional Arts Australia Conference in Launceston.

AMDF is a collaboration between UTAS and TRA to investigate just how young people feel about issues of resiliance and climate change on their island and express their views via the use of new media activity.

Artist Nic Low has been commissioned to lead the AMDF project and has collaborated with other AMDF project artists Nadine Kessler and Heidi Douglas in the development of a dedicated curriculun support resource document that has since been distributed to over 280 schools in Tasmania. This excellent educational resource was developed with the input of Josie Hurst and the overall project management was undertaken by Kate McDonald with direction provided by a high level advisory group. Nic is now completing the online and physical components of an installation for AMDF that will be unveiled at the Junction 2010 Arts festival in Launceston.

Funded initially through the University of Tasmania's Community Engagement Fund and subsequently by Arts Tasmania's Island Inspired funding round, The Regional Arts Fund and the Tasmanian Climate Change Office, AMDF is also endorsed by the Australian National Commission for UNESCO. AMDF will produce new and challenging work on themes that impact on all living in island environments.

Branching Out

TRA in 2009 commenced a two year project to investigate and support social enterprise development in Tasmania through the Arts.

Funded through the support of the Westpac Foundation, Branching Out intends to equip regional Tasmania's community arts organisations with skills and expertise to generate their own resources, placing less emphasis on grants and more on economic self - sustainability.

To date the project has supported two pilot projects and extensive research and networking activities, including an active blog and international exposure for the project.
For more information, contact the Branching out Project Officer, Kylie Eastley at TRA by email or on 0439 262 344