Elise Archer,Minister for the Arts
Tasmania’s wild and rugged West Coast is to be celebrated in a new exhibition at the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery (TMAG).
West: Out on the Edge is a captivating new multidisciplinary exhibition exploring this unique region of our State and showcasing its complexities and contradictions.
The first in a series of exhibitions planned by TMAG, West: Out on the Edge will show how people on the West Coast have shaped the region and, in turn, have been shaped by it.
From the pioneers who moved there to seek their fortunes in the mining industry in the 19th century, to the entrepreneurs and those making a home on the West Coast today, the exhibition also tells the story of the Tasmanian Aboriginal people who have been in the region for between 40,000 and 50,000 years.
Visitors will get the chance to delve into the West Coast’s rich and extensive history, which has inspired countless artists, past and present.
Accompanying the exhibition is an extensive public program of special events and talks, commencing with the Hydro Tasmania Discovery Day on Sunday, 8 December as part of the opening weekend of celebrations.
The exhibition is supported by major partners, Hydro Tasmania and the Tasmanian Community Fund, as well as program partner Blundstone Australia and production partner HydroWood.
Tasmania’s arts and cultural sector is a critical part of the State, injecting approximately $179 million into the Tasmanian economy a year and directly employing approximately 5,000 people.
