Museum doors open for collections to tour

An array of captivating artistic works will tour the country thanks to $1 million in funding from the Australian Government’s National Collecting Institutions Touring and Outreach program.  

The program provides annual funding and supports 9 national collecting institutions to tour their collections across Australia, with a particular focus on regional areas. 

This year’s funding will support 14 exhibitions, including the development of two new exhibitions from the Museum of Australian Democracy and the National Archives of Australia. 

Minister for the Arts, Tony Burke, said art should reach as many Australians as possible – not just those in major cities.

“The collections held by our national collecting institutions tell our stories, but not everyone has the opportunity to experience them firsthand.

“This program helps take these stories around Australia giving new audiences the chance to connect with them.”

Amongst the recipients of this round are:

National Gallery of Australia – $40,204 for Enjoy This Trip: The Art of Music Posters This exhibition presents Australian and international music posters from the Gallery’s collection spanning the 1960s to 1980s. The tour will celebrate this era and resonate with local audiences interested in art, graphic design, music and more. The exhibition will tour to New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria. 

Bundanon Trust – $132,700 for Fantastic Forms

This exhibition features over 200 works from the Bundanon Collection in dialogue with new large-scale sculptures by Nabilah Nordin, a series of ceramic figures by Stephen Benwell and stop motion videos by emerging Bundjalung artist Rubyrose Bancroft.The exhibition will tour to New South Wales and Queensland.

National Portrait Gallery of Australia – $93,955 for the National Photographic Portrait Prize 2023. The National Photographic Portrait Prize is an annual photography prize and exhibition that promotes the best contemporary photographic portraiture by professional and aspiring Australian photographers. The exhibition will tour to Queensland and Western Australia. 

A full list of recipients can be found here.