Friends of the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery upcoming events

Becoming modern (04 Aug 2026)

Tue, 04 Aug 2026 00:30:00 GMT

Becoming modern

Tuesday 4 August, 10.30am

Meet in Central Gallery, TMAG

Becoming Modern is a survey exhibition exploring the emergence of modernism in Australia during the twentieth century. Most works are from the TMAG collection, and they feature a roll-call of famous Australian artists.

Our tour of the exhibition will be by two of TMAG’s volunteer art guides: this is a great opportunity to not only learn about the wonderful works in the exhibition, but also to see another of TMAG’s volunteer groups in action. The art guides provide art tours three times per week — Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 11am — and explore changing exhibitions as well as the permanent collection.

Our guides on the day will be:

• Penny Carey-Wells, a former lecturer and technician at the School of Art, University of Tasmania, and a practising artist, bookbinder, and graphic designer. Her motto is that ‘Art saves lives’.

• Ann Hughes is, by profession, a social worker and an editor. She’s an enthusiastic volunteer art guide with an interest in many art forms who believes in the importance of the arts for individual and community well-being.

The tour will run for about an hour. At its conclusion, please join us for cake in the members’ lounge.

This is a FREE event and you are welcome to bring non-member friends. Numbers are limited though so bookings are essential.

Contemporary migrant stories (20 Aug 2026)

Thu, 20 Aug 2026 00:30:00 GMT

Contemporary migrant stories

with Elizabete Ozola, TMAG Contemporary Migrant Experiences Project Officer

Thursday 20 August, 10.30am

Central Gallery, TMAG

In this fascinating floor talk, Elizabete Ozola reflects on her migration journey and how it has shaped both her life and professional practice here in Tasmania. From her childhood in a small fishing village in Latvia, where her family’s house museum sparked her interest in memory and cultural heritage, to her current role as Contemporary Migrant Experiences Project Officer at TMAG, she will explore how building meaningful relationships with migrant communities supports the preservation, interpretation and celebration of contemporary migrant stories.

She will also discuss the development of the first suite of Contemporary Migrant Experiences interpretive labels for current TMAG exhibitions Becoming Modern: Mid-Century Australian Art and Exposed Lands: 100 Years of Tasmanian Landscape Photography, highlighting the research process that brought post-war migrant artists’ perspectives into greater public view.

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Elizabete Ozola wrties:

‘I grew up in Latvia, Northern Europe, raised in a home that holds five generations of stories, and where the Baltic Sea shapes everyday life. A place very close to my heart is my family’s house museum, filled with fishing and farming tools and everyday objects engraved with ancient Latvian symbols of protection and ownership, quietly reminding us that culture lives in the details — in our hands, our homes, and the memories we share from those that came before.’

With a diverse background in early childhood education — Montessori pedagogy, arts education, public programming and community engagement, Elizabete brings a multidisciplinary and deeply personal understanding of migration, heritage preservation, and inclusive storytelling.

As a first-generation migrant to Australia, Elizabete is excited by TMAG’s ongoing commitment to preserving contemporary migrant experiences and feels honoured to contribute to this work.

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This is a FREE event and you are welcome to bring non-member friends. For organisational purposes, please let us know you are coming.

The world of seashells (25 Aug 2026)

Tue, 25 Aug 2026 00:30:00 GMT

The world of seashells

with Simon Grove, Senior Curator of Invertebrate Zoology

Tuesday 25 August, 10.30am

Central Gallery, TMAG

The world is a very big place when it comes to seashells, and the Salon Gallery’s new The World of Seashells exhibition can only display so much. Hear more about the backstories of the diverse creatures involved as well as other miscellaneous molluscan matters in this talk by lifelong seashell enthusiast, author and Senior Curator of Invertebrate Zoology, Dr Simon Grove.

This is a FREE event and you are welcome to bring non-member friends. For organisational purposes, please let us know you are coming.