National Touring Survey Report
The National Touring Survey is the result of a partnership between the National Exhibitions Touring Support (NETS) Australia agencies and collected responses from 95 small to medium public galleries, university and community art galleries from across Australia in early 2013.
Results show a high demand for touring exhibitions and the benefits they provide: increasing access to contemporary visual art and craft across the regions and delivery of sought after partnerships and networking opportunities.
The results confirm that travelling exhibitions bring in large, growing audiences. They also confirm that an increase in funding support is required to ensure the continued excellence of available touring product, and to ensure that
demand continues to be met with high quality exhibitions, in an environment of rising costs and charges.
NETS Australia is the national network committed to the delivery of best practice touring exhibitions of contemporary visual culture to remote and metropolitan communities throughout Australia.
The network is comprised of Museums & Galleries NSW, Artback NT: Arts Development and Touring, Museum and Gallery Services QLD, Country Arts SA, Contemporary Art Spaces Tasmania (CAST), NETS Victoria and Art on the Move.
SNAPSHOT OF RESULTS
• 24% of all exhibitions presented by public galleries are produced and managed by other galleries, cultural institutions or touring agencies
• 65% of respondents created exhibitions for tour, in addition to hosting incoming touring exhibitions
• Visitation to touring exhibitions represents nearly half of all gallery audiences (47%) in 2011
• Visitation to touring exhibitions has grown proportionally by 8% from 2011 to 2012 despite an overall downturn in attendance figures
• 91% of galleries believe that touring exhibitions allow them to balance their artistic program
• 87% of respondents feel that touring exhibitions offer access to opportunities that are beyond their resources
• 80% of respondents agree that the creation and hosting of touring exhibitions offer significant professional networking opportunities
• 51% of respondents who created touring exhibitions in 2011 and 2012 did not receive funding from any source to develop or tour their exhibitions
• 42% of respondents have been prevented from hosting a touring exhibition because the exhibition loan fee was unaffordable