The times they are a changin'

Over the last few months Arts Tasmania has been engaged in close consultation with the various sectors of the arts industry to determine where to best place our support and direct our resources in realising a vibrant future for the arts in Tasmania. As a result we have been reviewing all of our industry development programs and some of our funding programs to better meet the needs expressed by the industry in the coming years.

We consistently heard from artists across all sectors of the industry that people wanted more regular activity and engagement with ongoing activity throughout the year. Based on the specific feedback gained through the visual arts consultation, arts@work will no longer be offering Tasmanian Living Artists' Week. We are very proud of the achievements of TLAW in raising the profile of visual arts in Tasmania but it is time for us to focus on other opportunities. We would encourage artists and communities to continue to build on the momentum that Tasmanian Living Artists' Week has generated across the State and would hope that the legacy of TLAW is continued to be nurtured by the industry.

In mid-2009, Arts Tasmania will discuss with the arts community its plans for a revised industry development program for 2010 that responds to the feedback we received.