Regional Exhibition Touring Boost

The Freighting Ideas project connects regional audiences with the State’s art collection and encourages local communities to participate in broader conversations about art.

Part of a new WA regional touring program called Freighting Ideas by ART ON THE MOVE and The Art Gallery of Western Australia, the project involves the local community in developing arts activities and participating in broader conversations around art, alongside touring capsules of works from AGWA.

Funded by the State Government’s Regional Exhibition Touring Boost (RETB), two capsule exhibitions travelled the State under the new pilot program.

The Freighting Ideas project also assists galleries to build capacity for presenting diverse exhibitions with art handling training – producing upskilled staff and volunteers, and a galleries improvement fund which has provided them with much-needed upgrades.

The first exhibition from the project How Did I Get Here? inspired by the 1980 Talking Heads song Once in a Lifetime, was the first touring exhibition from The Art Gallery of WA for twenty years. How Did I Get Here? brought together twelve key photographic works interwoven with various complementary pieces from the local collection. Each artist takes a unique and personal perspective – sometimes photo reportage sometimes imaginative fiction ­– drawing from real life to speak about the challenges of coming of age, cultural beliefs, race and religion, and our social selves.

There Were Moments of Transformation was the second in the series, presenting works by eminent international artists including Auguste Rodin, Pierre August Renoir, William Kentridge as well as WA artists Lucy Yukenbarri and Bethany Linton. Local galleries such as Katanning, Geraldton, Carnarvon and Collie presented the exhibition together with community engagement activities such as artist talks and workshops for children and families.