Friday 10 April 2015

A WAY FORWARD

In regard to the State Government’s reinvigoration of the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery's Board of Trustees and management there appears to be a segue to effecting some restructuring relevant to the governance and management of public cultural assets throughout Tasmania – the State’s and Australia’s cultural estate

By way of extension, such an initiative could play a very important part in reimagining and invigorating cultural development, and cultural tourism, in Tasmania, in new and innovative ways. Tasmania’s ‘cultural estate’ its publicly owned museums, art galleries, the collections they hold, publicly owned heritage collections and historic – are seemingly taking on a new importance. Nonetheless, it seems that this is not recognised at the coalfaces where these operations function from. 

In a contemporary context if these cultural assets are reimagined they may well figure amongst Tasmania’s most important in both a cultural and economic context. 

Alongside all this, Tasmania is such a place geographically, socially and culturally where meaningful research can be initiated and realised expeditiously. Cultural asset management it seems to me would be an opportunity for Tasmania to take a lead for the benefit of not only the island’s citizenry but also its economy. 

There is a case for asserting that there is now the chance to propose that the TMAG, operating as a truly contemporaneous institution and by doing so, set the pace for a major rethink in regard to Tasmania’s ’cultural estate’

Importantly, there is a need in Tasmania to take initiatives relevant to tourism and other aspects of Tasmania’s ‘cultural landscape’ in general. 

Against this background there is a strong case to be put that now is the time to renew The Tasmanian Museum’s Act plus related heritage legislation and regulations. 

The underestimation of the size of the task is ever likely. Likewise, the need to realise that such a ‘renewal’ project could only be realised on step at a time basis is an imperative. Nonetheless, the case for the journey being worth embarking upon is strong given the benefits available directly and indirectly.

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