History

For over 50 years Design Tasmania has supported the careers and practices of thousands of design creatives from our island, Australia and beyond to advance the value of design in our daily lives. Our public programs offer over 15,000 visitors a year the opportunity to engage in design and culture to celebrate some of the most highly regarded practitioners in the field of design. From weaving workshops to international innovators and kids' tours, the galleries showcase activities for everyone from the design curious to established design professionals.

Founded by visionary duo Gary and Patricia Cleveland in 1976 with a series of exhibitions around Tasmanian wood design, Design Tasmania is now nationally recognised as a key agent for promoting a high standard of design practice across disciplines.

Our Design Tasmania Wood Collection began in 1991 with a selection of works curated by our founders and has now grown to hold over 80 pieces making it the largest public collection of contemporary wood design in Australia. From icons such as Kevin Perkins and Brad Moss through to contemporary innovators like Brodie Neill, Laura McCusker and Scott van Tuil, the collection is available to explore in detail online as well as on display in our Launceston-based galleries.

Located in Launceston, Tasmania, our galleries span heritage-listed Price Hall (1885) into the connecting Gary Cleveland Galleries and Claudio Alcorso Courtyard. The latter extension was built in 2001 led by architects Richard Leplastrier AO and David Travalia and the Phaidon Atlas of Contemporary Architecture lists it as one of the world's top 1000 contemporary buildings (Phaidon: 2004).

Design Tasmania's mission is to advocate for excellence in design and extend the visibility of design practice through the belief that design makes the difference not just to a privileged few, but to all in our community.