Creative Director - Hobart Current – Call for Expressions of Interest

The City of Hobart (COH) and the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery (TMAG) are seeking EOI’s for a Creative Director to lead the fourth Hobart Current contemporary art program.

Closing Date Sep 30, 2026

Hobart Current is a collaborative biennial exhibition developed and delivered by the City of Hobart (CoH) and the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery (TMAG).

The program aims to nurture and showcase Tasmania’s most innovative creatives alongside their national and international peers. The unique exhibition model and integrated public program celebrates visual art, design, film, performance, and literature and is set to take place at the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery and in Hobart’s public spaces from November 2027 Now well-established, Hobart Current seeks to build on its strong foundations and further increase its reach, impact and profile. Contemporaneity and innovation are at the heart of the program and are shared priorities of CoH and TMAG.  The Creative Director will shape the curatorial vision, select at least seven (7) participating artists and work closely with them to develop and champion their work.  The Creative Director will be paid $35,000AUD which includes all travel, per diems and accommodation costs. https://hobartcurrent.com/ The Creative Director role offers a unique opportunity to shape one of Tasmania’s leading contemporary arts programs, working across gallery and public spaces and collaborating with artists from a range of disciplines. Applications are encouraged from experienced curators, artistic directors and creative practitioners with a strong track record of developing ambitious contemporary arts projects.

Key Aims

  • Contemporaneity: to embrace innovative creative practice and present new ideas in an exciting exhibition environment.
  • Multiple disciplines: the combination of Visual Art, Performance, Film, Design, and Literature are absolutely central to the new exhibition model.
  • Accessibility: the exhibition must be engaging for general museum goers as well as creative practitioners and audiences with cultural awareness. TMAG Public Program and Learning staff will work with the Creative Director to develop an engagement program for the duration of the exhibition.
  • Legacy: the model has been designed to nurture and promote the participating artists by creating greater awareness of their work.
  • Tasmanian talent: the Creative Director will be asked to delve into the different regions and art forms in Tasmania to unearth local talent and position it in a national context.

Theme

The Creative Director will propose a compelling curatorial theme that resonates on both a global and local scale. Whether grounded in a simple idea or a more complex proposition, the theme should provide coherence across the exhibition while creating opportunities for reflection, dialogue and discovery. The theme must be accessible to a broad audience and will be a significant aspect of the Creative Director EOI process.

Title

The Creative Director will be asked to come up with a thematic title that will follow the prefix ‘Hobart Current’. This will build on the one-word titles from previous iterations. For example, in 2021 the title was Hobart Current: Liberty, in 2023 Hobart Current: Epoch and in 2025-26 Hobart Current: Here.

Artists

The Creative Director will select at least seven (7) artists in consultation with the CoH and TMAG. The artists must be different to those who participated in previous Hobart Current program.

A total of $150,000 is available for artist payments. The allocation of these funds is at the discretion of the Creative Director and may be distributed according to the needs and ambition of individual projects. These funds are intended to support the development of new work for the exhibition and include artist fees, travel, accommodation, per diems, materials and freight costs.

Tasmanian artists

A critical component of the exhibition model is to establish greater support, professional development and promotional opportunities for Tasmanian artists. To achieve this, a minimum of half of the selected artists must live in Tasmania. The inclusion of artists from around Australia and overseas is also encouraged, recognising the value of presenting Tasmanian creative practice within a national and international context.

Multiple disciplines

One of the unique aspects of the exhibition model is the inclusion of multiple disciplines. This decision was made in response to community feedback during the CoH Art Prize review and a shared desire by the CoH and TMAG to provide support and opportunities to the broad cultural sector.  Given this, the Creative Director will have the freedom to select artists working in the fields of Visual Art, Design, Performance, Film, Music and Literature.

Sites

At least four (4) artists will exhibit in TMAG’s four Argyle Galleries (total 600 sqm, 200 linear metres), at least three (3) artists will exhibit in Hobart’s public spaces. The CoH and TMAG will work with the Creative Director to select a series of relevant sites. These may be influenced by the availability of sites and galleries, the exhibition theme and the work of the individual artists. These sites may include open spaces such as alleyways, courtyards, parks, streets, or underground passages.

The public realm component is intended to create unexpected encounters with contemporary art within the city, extending the exhibition beyond the walls of the gallery and encouraging new forms of audience engagement. Artists can also propose alternate sites if they fit within the parameters established by CoH, TMAG, and the Creative Director.

It is important that the Creative Director select artists with either previous experience working in public space or significant previous experience/interest in translating existing practice into the public realm.

Engagement

Ensuring broad engagement with the project is a critical goal for this iteration of Hobart Current. This includes encouraging strong public participation, generating interest beyond traditional arts audiences and fostering discussion about the ideas explored through the exhibition. To support audience engagement and public awareness, the Creative Director will participate in at least five (5) public programs, talks, forums or engagement activities during the development and presentation of the exhibition.

Mentoring and promotion

A key objective of Hobart Current is to support the professional development, visibility and long-term success of Tasmanian artists. The Creative Director will play an important mentoring role, supporting artists throughout the development of the exhibition and sharing artistic, professional and strategic insights that contribute to the ongoing development of their practice.

The Creative Director will act as an advocate and ambassador for participating artists and the program, drawing on their professional networks to foster connections, create opportunities and champion the exhibition beyond its presentation period.

Those interested in submitting an Expression of Interest for the Creative Director role are asked to respond to the following:

  • Pitch (curatorial idea, title and description of the exhibition and program): <200 words
  • Statement of relevant experience: <200 words
  • Statement of availability and other commitments between September 2026 and March 2028: <100 words
  • CV: One (1) A4 page
  • Ten (10) supporting images (optional)
  • Contact details for applicant
  • Contact details for two (2) referees

For further enquiries, contact:

  • Peter Tattersall Deputy Director – Audience Engagement, Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery

peter.tattersall@tmag.tas.gov.au

  • Jane Castle, Program Lead, Creative City, City of Hobart

castlej@hobartcity.com.au or 03 6238 2767 Expressions of Interest can be submitted by email to peter.tattersall@tmag.tas.gov.au

For more information click here