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About the Tasmanian Wood Design Collection ...
It's a Contemporary Museum...
The Tasmanian Wood Design Collection is a continuously-evolving museum collection of contemporary wood design. It is the only museum collection of its type in Australia.
Scope of the Collection
The Collection's scope is deliberately narrow. It represents only those pieces of contemporary wood design made in Tasmania by designers who live and work in Tasmania.
Why Tasmania?
The decision to focus a collection of this type within state boundaries is far from arbitrary. Tasmania has a variety and quality of indigenous timbers unequalled in Australia and the world. Huon pine, king billy pine, celery top pine, sassafras and myrtle are just a few of the special species native to the island and unavailable elsewhere.
As a consequence, Tasmania has become a magnet for designers interested in working with wood. The concentration of craft and design practitioners (as opposed to artists practising in other media) is higher in Tasmania than elsewhere in Australia.
How old is it?
The Museum was established in 1991 as a not-for-profit organisation administered by a voluntary Board of Directors.
What is its mission?
Its aim is to sustain the wood design industry in Tasmania, to further the cause of Tasmanian identity, to create an identity for Tasmania as a place of excellence in the world, and to inspire the world community with the potency of design.
What pieces are eligible for inclusion?
Acquisitions to the Collection must meet strict criteria including:
- the use of wood as an important feature of the piece
- high quality technical construction
- innovation in design
- the identification of the designer as Tasmanian or temporarily resident in Tasmania.
Every two years a Biennial Exhibition is held at which some pieces are selected for the Collection.
An independent Acquisitions Advisory Panel was formed in November 2004 to assist the Board of the Wood Design Collection on accessioning issues. |
