Our Home features the works of Art Education Australia members from across the country and will be open to the public from Monday, coinciding with International Arts Education Week.

A UNESCO initiative, Arts Education Week has been held annually since 2012 and is aimed at increasing community awareness of the importance of arts education.

On Friday Art Education Australia president Dr Margaret Baguley visited the Academy Gallery and said it was wonderful to see arts educators in the spotlight. 

“We thought this would be a terrific opportunity for our members to showcase their works,” she said. 

“We are so lucky to have this space, here in Tasmania and the works being displayed are from all over Australia. 

“We wanted to explore the theme of home and the conflicts between the public and private space. 

“There are so many complexities of the home and I think we can see from the works here how diverse that interpretation has been.”

Dr Baguley said Our Home explored themes of personal space, home life, security and family in a world where the spaces between the public and private are continuously blurred. 

UTAS gallery director and AEA secretary Dr Malcolm Bywaters said he was very pleased with the response and level of interpretation received from AEA members. 

“It is fabulous for us, to be able to extend the reach of our gallery across the nation,” he said. 

“This is really a celebration of what teachers are doing for arts education. 

“This is the type of arena that the university wants to be in and should be in. 

“It is also a special event for us to have Margaret here. 

“The gallery plays an important role for schools, secondary colleges and returning academics, to engage with them and showcase their works.”

The exhibition will run for two weeks until June 1 at the UTAS Academy Gallery.