Expressions of interest now open for our touring exhibitions program

We encourage applications from individual artists, artist groups and collectives, independent curators, regional and metropolitan galleries and contemporary art spaces.

Country Arts SA works with 19 galleries across regional South Australia to achieve three key goals:
• Promote contemporary South Australian artists to a wider state and national audience.
• Create access and exchange between South Australia’s regional and metro artists and gallery spaces.
• Build community accessibility to contemporary visual arts through public programming, networking and exchange.

The program’s emphasis on contemporary visual arts practice acknowledges the need to promote innovation, education, growth and conceptual and technical development in the arts across South Australia and interstate. This program aims to raise the public profile of the South Australian regional galleries and inspire regional communities, ensuring a sustainable climate of exchange between metro and regional areas.

Touring exhibitions come in all forms. They can be:
• curated group exhibitions
• solo exhibitions
• a collection exhibition
• an exhibition celebrating a specific medium (textiles, ceramics, video work etc)
• any other type of visual arts exhibition

In broad terms, the partner will work with the artist, artists or curators to deliver the exhibition to its first venue and Country Arts SA will be responsible for costs of touring and for tour coordination from this point.

If selected, Country Arts SA will work with the gallery/curator to ensure all partner agreements, loan agreements, insurances, schedules and other tour requirements are met.

What do you need to know before proposing a tour?

Before submitting a proposal we recommend you speak with the Visual Arts Program Manager to discuss the suitability of the project for touring. We also recommend that you look at the Regional Galleries Association of South Australia website to get an idea of the galleries and communities where the exhibition will tour (www.rgasa.org.au).

Overview of touring:
• Tours are expected to run over 12 – 24 months, beginning no earlier than February 2021
• Tours visit between 6 – 15 galleries.
• Each venue hosts the exhibition for between 4 – 8 weeks
• The majority of these galleries are run by volunteers, with no paid staff or professional installation staff.
• Hanging systems range from nails/screws in the wall through to hanging rails and lines. Tours must be able to be adapted to these spaces and installation requirements.

What will Country Arts SA support?

Country Arts SA’s support can include:
• artist loan fees (NAVA recommended rates. Additional fees to be negotiated)
• staff to coordinate, pack and deliver the tour
• cost of freight for the duration of the tour
• design of invitations
• media and publicity support
• insurance for the period of the tour (transit & static)
• creation of condition reports and installation kits
• crates for the tour
• limited exhibition furniture and tech support
• some public programming and engagement

Tours may be free or heavily subsidised for host galleries with Country Arts SA and our partner covering all touring costs, ensuring equal access for all regional South Australian galleries.

The level of funding will be agreed by negotiation with the successful partner.

Any additional artist fees, advertising, exhibition equipment, specialist installers and other additional costs must be covered by the tour partner.

Exhibition Guidelines

All proposed touring exhibitions will be assessed against the following criteria:

1. The artwork will be of high quality
2. The exhibition will be conceptually strong
3. The exhibition will be interesting to regional South Australian audiences.
4. The exhibition has potential for public programming and other activities that will engage local community and support exchange opportunities across the state.
5. The works included in the exhibition will be suitable for touring taking into account that the majority of galleries are unfunded and are staffed by volunteers.
6. Country Arts SA welcomes exhibitions which reflect a diversity of mediums, ideas, concepts, genders, cultural backgrounds and other groups living and working in Australia and the arts.
7. The selection process will take into account the exhibition constraints and benefits for the touring partners, the artist(s) and Country Arts SA.
8. The selection process will take into account the financial cost of the exhibition, and its feasibility as part of the Country Arts SA touring program.

A touring exhibition proposal should, where possible, include:

1. Exhibition title
2. List of artists involved in the project
3. Planned linear and/or square metres for the exhibition
4. Outline of proposed artworks (mediums, approximate dimensions, outline of content)
5. Exhibition concept/artist statement/curatorial rationale: what is the exhibition about?
6. Statement of intent: why do you want this exhibition to tour regionally?
7. High quality images (images of actual works or indicative works are accepted) including title and dimensions.
8. Any relevant exhibition collateral already produced for the exhibition (catalogues/publications)
9. Timeframe: when will the exhibition first be shown, when it will be ready to tour?
10. Outline of any special equipment or skills required for installation: e.g. data projector, DVD player & screens, display cases/plinths, particularly delicate or heavy works included
11. Potential public programming outcomes
12. Contact details for the key contact or curator including email, phone number and address

Country Arts SA understands that exhibitions and artworks may not be finalised at this time. The proposal needs to contain enough information to give the Assessment Panel, led by the Visual Arts Program Manager, an understanding of the rationale and logistics involved in touring the work, to assess the exhibition’s suitability for touring and place within the overall program.

Next Steps

Applications close: Friday 18 October 2019
Applicants notified: Friday 1 November 2019
Tour begins: After February 2021 – dates to be agreed and determined by gallery programming.

Please submit all proposals to:
Lauren Mustillo
Visual Arts Program Manager
Country Arts SA
[email protected]
08 8444 0416

Download the Expressions of Interest here