Our small, self-reliant and vibrant community draws creatives from near and far and has an active core of artists and craft practitioners whose work strongly reflects the Island’s culture and landscape.
King Island Arts & Cultural Centre
You’re guaranteed a warm welcome at this thriving Arts and Cultural Centre, which is located in the picturesque Currie Wharf precinct. With artists often at work and both large and small pieces for sale, it offers a glimpse into our incredibly creative community.
Address
Edward Street, Currie TAS 7256
Contact
(03) 6462 1924
Opening Hours
Our normal opening hours are:
Monday to Friday – 1.00pm to 4.00pm
Saturday and Sunday – 9.00am to 1.00pm
Visits outside these hours may be arranged with prior notice by calling the Cultural Centre on 03 6462 1914 or Council’s offices on 03 6462 9000.
Check out the Cultural Centre Facebook page for details of upcoming events, workshops and artists in residence.
Artists in Residence Program
The natural beauty, relaxed lifestyle and relative isolation of King Island appeals to artists seeking an idyllic, inspirational environment in which to work and has inspired those with a wide range of professional arts practices.
Applications for residences in 2022 closed on Friday 1 October 2021. Assessments are underway and a schedule of confirmed residencies will be published in mid-November 2021.
Below are testimonials from some past artists in residence:
“In a nutshell thought the residency was life saving. For an artist so intensely bogged down in single parenting two young children and logistics and the clock, to have the gift of isolation, solitude, time, an audience, a brilliant rehearsal and performance space was gold. Then the parallels between the show itself and the island, and doing the Workshop at the school and meeting and working with so many generous people made it so special. I can’t thank you enough.” DR TERESA BELL
“Thanks so much for all efforts. I have done research today at the museum and have created prints, run workshops, and will leave on Saturday with a part of me left on King Island. The Cultural Centre is wonderful, vibrant, alive and thriving with a varied group of talented artists. I have so appreciated the welcome and assistance. I now hope to create a body of work on endangered, endemic and extinct birds of King Island and return for an exhibition in due course”. THERESE GABRIEL WILKINS – ‘TREES’
Being the resident artist in a cultural centre is like opening the side door to the community. It doesn’t take long for the locals to warm to having a visitor to share stories, food and their art practices. I find hosting workshops when I arrive as an artist-in-residence, to be an informal way of meeting people. After only three days of workshops I realised I had met a good portion of the community and I no longer felt like a stranger. I was invited to drawing field trips, bonfires, beachcombing hot spots (and was fortunate to be given a few crayfish as that just seems to be the local way). It is very special to be welcomed by the community as they are so much a part of the experience of residencies. My residency at the Currie Harbour Cultural Centre allowed me one month of isolation to beach comb and map the coastline of King Island to create a body of work entitled Fragments of King. MARISA MOLIN