Ararat Gallery TAMA to benefit from Working for Victoria support

Ararat Gallery TAMA is one of thirteen galleries and museums to benefit from a new State Government program working to protect gallery and museum collections under the Working for Victoria initiative.

Ararat Rural City Council CEO Dr Tim Harrison welcomes State Government support in creating more jobs for creative workers across regional Victoria.

 “Since the launch early this year, the Working for Victoria program has created over 20 jobs in our region, while producing real benefits for the wider community.

“Like so many other sectors, the arts have been severely impacted. It’ll be great to see more of the regional arts community get back to work.”

Jacqueline Grenfell, Manager of Ararat Gallery TAMA said, “One of the greatest changes in the art world is the rise of virtual collections.”

“Online galleries give visitors the freedom to search and discover works of art for themselves from the comfort of their homes.”

“TAMA was one of the first galleries to partake in the Regional Digitisation Roadshow funded by the State Government in April last year -- this additional assistance for a Digitisation Support Officer will enable the Gallery to continue capturing its permanent collection.

“Digitising works of art can be a challenge – it’s a timely process that involves attaining copyright license agreements, cataloguing, and publishing works on the website.”

“Ararat Gallery TAMA now has uploaded 174 pieces from our 1,200-piece collection to the Victorian Collections website and secured an additional 152 licences for artwork. 

“With government support, we can now attain the licences for the remaining 456 works that still require clearance and finish the project of showcasing our collection online.”

“The program is a partnership between Working for Victoria and Creative Victoria and will be delivered in collaboration with the Australian Museums and Galleries Association Victoria.”

“Without support from the State Government, it would be almost impossible for a small regional Gallery like ours to carry out this project.

“For regional communities, connection to the arts provides a sense of pride. Our collection was initiated by the local community over 50 years ago; a great deal of community fundraising and effort was invested to present what gallery visitors see today.”

“This is such a valuable project for our region as it allows the Gallery to be easily accessible to all members of our community while preserving our collections for future generations.”

“Though art online won’t replace the in-person experience, I hope the information provided will inspire more people to visit where possible.”

For people interested in applying for the position, please see: https://amagavic.org.au/employment