The Department of Communities is calling on arts touring service providers to step up to provide high-quality arts experiences for schools and kindergartens in regional and remote communities.
In a statement, the Department said it wanted to ensure that children and young people within the communities could experience arts-led learning experiences that supported their social, cultural and educational wellbeing.
“This initiative will also invest in the professional development of teachers and artists to support arts-enriched learning outcomes,” the Department said.
“Procurement is now under way to deliver a renewed focus on schools touring that will support access to curriculum-connected arts and cultural experiences, including the sharing of First Nations’ stories and cultures, for students in rural and remote Queensland.”
It said the Department was seeking arts touring services in Far North Queensland, Cape York and Torres Strait; North and North-West and the Gulf; Central-West and Western and the South-West.
“We also want services from suppliers to deliver an online platform to support educators’ search for, and access to, arts and education products and services,” the Department said.
“This platform will also help connect schools and kindergartens with artists, arts organisations and Elders, delivering curriculum-connected activity locally or across Queensland.”
It said this was a new approach to schools touring that would sit alongside Arts Queensland’s Touring Queensland Fund, which invested in single and multi-year tours and accompanying workshops, and school programs focused on dance, drama, music, visual arts and theatre.
Procurement closes on 30 May with successful suppliers offered a 30-month contract from July to December 2025, with an option to extend for 12 months subject to satisfactory performance.
