Ability to Create

Space rock

This program was so much more than an art exhibition. The Ability to Create (ATC) program was a model for access, inclusion and creativity.

The aim of the program was to:

  • upskill mentor artists to work collaboratively with all ability artists
  • enable 'Art for Everyone'
  • be a multi-disciplinary program that is ambitious and inspirational
  • increase understanding about access and inclusion across the organisation and the broader community and lead by example.

Celebrating 12 years of creativity

For 12 years, our Ability to Create program has provided a space to celebrate local all ability artists. It has allowed the sharing of creative ideas, and has brought art into the heart of the city.

The program has showcased an incredible diversity of talent, stories and perspectives. We are grateful to the artists who have generously shared their work with us and helped make the program a valued part of our community.

As our organisation and teams evolve, and with changes to staffing and available resources, the exhibition program will now come to a close.

While it is the end of this program, we celebrate the wonderful contribution it has made over the past 12 years. We also celebrate the many artists, artworks, connections and conversations. These have helped us deliver meaningful creative opportunities, and has led to a more inclusive arts community.

Thank you to every artist who has been part of the journey. Your creativity has helped make Hobart a more vibrant, accessible, inclusive and connected place.

Creative Hobart has a range of ways that artists can continue to connect with the creative life of the city. You can view options in the arts and culture pages, or contact the team at publicart@hobartcity.com.au.

Recent exhibitions

2025 - InvisAbility: Be Seen, By Choice

Poster headline: Be Seen, By Choice. Every face tells a story. Eight separate images of self-portraits as black and white sketches and faces made of cardboard collage.

InvisAbility: Be Seen, By Choice was a powerful art exhibition exploring portraits of individuals who choose how they are seen. Transforming the Town Hall Ballroom into a sensory experience through projection, soundscapes and visual storytelling.

The program aimed to:

  • make artists visible
  • remove stigma and bias around hidden disability
  • increase community understanding of the term 'disability' to include people who identify as neuro-divergent or have other unseen disabilities.

2023 - ELEVATE

A futuristic city with glass domed buildings and flying cars and buses

The ELEVATE exhibition certainly rose above, opening with the Sound Barriers who lifted the Hobart Town Hall ballroom into another stratosphere with its rockin' tunes.

The exhibition invited you to explore three unique spaces starting in a futuristic city where Absolutely Everybody was invited, to then enter the Launching Pad to be catapulted into the Intergalactic Space Station.

This exhibition program was the celebration of creativity, accessibility and inclusivity which also included a market place for artists to directly sell their work and interactive performances.

To experience a snapshot of the exhibition view the video below made by Bree Sanders, with audio descriptions by VisAbility.

2022 - Next Level

Illustrations of an ear, mouth, nose, eye and mouth, alongside the words Ability to Create 2022, Next Level, A Sensory Exhibition

2022's Ability to Create (ATC) Sensory Exhibition certainly was Next Level.

This exhibition was the celebration of creativity, accessibility and inclusivity. There were additions of a tactile map, audio descriptions and things to see, hear and touch. This enabled everyone to fully experience the exhibition.

There was a market place for artists to directly sell their work, a full program of performances and interactive workshops throughout the three days.

Background

Ability to Create launch event in the Ballroom

The Ability to Create exhibition was born in 2013, when we were approached by Freddy Lee-Mount, a community member living with a disability.

Freddy was committed to an idea of celebrating the creativity and talent of all ability artists in Hobart. He aimed to create awareness in the broader community of their talents and skills. Freddy identified groups who create regularly. He worked with them to stage a fantastic exhibition at the Waterside Pavilion. Since then, the exhibition has occurred annually and grown from strength to strength in many amazing and creative ways.

The Ability to Create exhibitions were a platform for:

  • enhancing a sense of place
  • nurturing creativity
  • celebrating artistic excellence
  • connecting creative people.
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