Australia Japan Strategic Ties for the Arts Initiative

Supported by the Australia-Japan Foundation with further support from Community Partnerships and Market Development Division of the Australia Council for the Arts.

The initiative provides support for a series of exhibitions of contemporary Australian art touring in Japan, as well as professional exchanges and seminars over a three year period, provided in partnership with visual arts organisations and institutions in Australia and Japan.

Two forums are included in the Initiative: one taking place in Japan and one in Australia. The aim is to encourage and enable key decision-makers working in the contemporary visual arts from Australia and Japan to talk together in a one to two day forums on issues of interest to both and to make recommendations for future action between the two countries.
The first forum took place in Tokyo, at the National Art Center in late September 2006 and the second in Sydney in June 2008.

The Australia-Japan Art Exhibitions Program is developed with Australian and Japanese partners, in part in response to a call for Expressions of Interest from Australian public galleries, museums, organisations and art spaces.

The initiative builds on the Visual Arts Program 2002-4 developed through Asialink with support of the Australia-Japan Foundation and the Australia Council. See: Australia Japan Exhibitions Program

Report: Sun Walking [pdf, 5.9mb, 59 pages]

Visual Arts Leaders Forum, National Art Center, Tokyo, September 2006

The Initiative Steering Committee includes: Max Delany, Director, Monash University Museum of Art, Kathryn Hunyor, Communications Manager, Object, Australia Centre for Craft and Design, Sydney, Deborah Peterson, Manager, Australia-Japan Foundation, Anna Waldmann, Director, Visual Arts Board, Australia Council, and Alison Carroll, Director, Arts Program, the Asialink Centre of the University of Melbourne.
The Initiative is managed by Asialink.