Abbey Museum Partners in National Exhibition Tour

A ground-breaking exhibition, curated by Dr Heather Blasdale Clarke and developed with the assistance of the Abbey Museum of Art and Archaeology in Caboolture, is about to embark on a national tour under the Federal government’s ‘Visions of Australia’ regional exhibition touring program.

Funding for the tour of the Dancing in Fetters: The Culture of Convict Dance exhibition was announced jointly by Minister for Communications, Urban Infrastructure, Cities and the Arts, the Hon Paul Fletcher MP, and Federal Member for Longman Terry Young.

“I am delighted to announce Dr Clarke has received $129,465 for Dancing in Fetters, enabling her to take the exhibition on a national tour,” Mr Young said.

“The project explores music and dance in convict and colonial-era Australia and will visit a range of venues with strong links to Australia’s convict heritage, including Norfolk Island and Tasmania.”

Minister Fletcher said the Australian government is delivering more than $940,000 to support the development or touring of seven cultural exhibitions across regional Australia as COVID-19 restrictions continue to ease across the country. The tours will re-engage communities across Australia and provide important cultural and economic stimulus to regional venue centres.

The Visions of Australia program funds the development and touring of arts and cultural exhibitions, with a focus on increasing arts access for Australians living in regional and remote areas.