Residents in the New England North West will soon be able to enjoy an exhibition from the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia (NFSA) when the tour stops by Tamworth in the coming months.
Member for New England, Barnaby Joyce, announced that NFSA had received $179,430 through the Australian Government’s National Collecting Institutions Touring and Outreach program for a three-stop regional tour of its Dressmaker Costume Exhibition.
Tamworth Regional Gallery will host the exhibition which featured costumes that appeared in the 2015 film The Dressmaker starring Kate Winslet, Judy Davis, Liam Hemsworth and Hugo Weaving.
“We’re no stranger to Hollywood celebrities here in the New England, from Angelina Jolie to Russell Crowe to name a few who have visited us in recent years,” Mr Joyce said.
“So it is no surprise they chose a growing regional NSW centre like ours and a gallery with strong credentials such as Tamworth, for a tour stopover.
“Given the recent cancellation of next year’s country music festival, events like this will become even more important to sustain local tourism and the more we can draw to the region, the better.”
The Tamworth gallery recently received almost $50,000 in Australian Government funding to take its own exhibition, Tensions 2020: Tamworth Textile Triennial, on national tour.
Other host centres for the upcoming Dressmaker Costume Exhibition include the Waltzing Matilda Centre in Winton, Queensland and a yet to be named Toowoomba venue.
The Australian Government is providing $1 million to support the national cultural institutions to develop and tour Australian and international exhibitions to 32 venues across the country in 2020-21.
Minister for Communications, Cyber Safety and the Arts, the Hon Paul Fletcher MP, said the program will support the National Collecting Institutions to develop and tour exhibitions, providing regional audiences access to significant works of art.
“Australians enjoy getting out and about to experience cultural activities in their local community and this funding will bring diverse stories and immersive experiences to our regions,” Minister Fletcher said.
“Each of the National Collecting Institutions receiving funding will work within the relevant State COVID-19 health and safety guidelines to ensure the safety of audiences viewing these exhibitions.”
The Australian Government has invested $250 million in the JobMaker plan to help restart the creative economy over the next 12 months, in addition to a $400 million Location Incentive boost that will create jobs in the screen industry over seven years. It also builds on the Government’s investment of $749 million in the arts and cultural industry in 2019-20 – the largest amount ever provided to the sector.
(ENDS)