About

Burnie Stringalong Orchestra playing at the Burnie City Council Chambers Photo: Grant Wells

Burnie Arts Council Inc (BAC) is the original branch of Tasmanian Regional Arts.

We seek to raise and consolidate the profile of Burnie as the arts hub for the region. In our 75 years of continuous operation, we have worked to link local arts organisations, advocate for arts development, and driven significant community projects.

In October 2023 we celebrated our 75th Birthday with a packed weekend of events. Alumni returned to Burnie to perform - we even had a rooftop concert a-la The Beatles! A double-header at the Burnie Arts and Function centre commenced with a pre-show soirée where we we recognised the people, events and milestones from our 75 year history. This was followed by a concert hosted by Josh Earl and featuring the Dream Burnie Municipal Band (Van Walker, Will HIndmarsh and Zane Lindt), Wendy Moles and Nick Hart, and recordings by Justin Heazlewood and the City of Burnie Brass Band. Mr David Turner rounded off the night with a participatory rendition of Juicy, Juicy Green Grass, and even received a personal message from Peter Coombes himself!

We also created a Wall of Fame for the event. It showcased almost 150 of Burnie’s creative alumni and/or contributors to our arts landscape. Watch this space regarding how that project may be consolidated in the near future.

Several of our community programs are ongoing, and involve a diverse range of ages, interests and areas of artistic focus.

Explore our ‘COMMUNITY’ and ‘ARTS NEWS and EVENTS’ tab to learn more. You can also discover information and galleries related to ‘PAPER ON SKIN’, Tasmania’s premier wearable paper art competition. Now a prestigious international competition, the event began as an initiative of the Burnie Arts Council.

BAC is a community organisation managed by a dedicated and skilled group of volunteers. We welcome new members. Annual membership fee is $15. Pay here.

Burnie Arts Council acknowledges the support of the Burnie City Council through their Financial Assistance grant round in the creation and maintenance of this website.

Meetings are held on the third Monday of every month at Studio 211, Mount St, Upper Burnie. 5.15 pm. All welcome.

Burnie Arts Council acknowledges that every part of Australia is, always was and always will be, Aboriginal land. We pay our respect to the original owners and custodians of the pataway land where we gather to connect, create, and share.