The Tasmanian School of Art in Hobart - now incorporated within the University of Tasmania - actually predates its parent institution by seven years.
Today's School traces its lineage directly back to 2nd July, 1884, when W.H. Charpentier's private School of Art opened in the old Mechanics' Institute building in Melville Street. Charpentier's School was founded squarely on the principles of the vocationally-oriented 'South Kensington system', which conceived of fine art and design education as an interdependent, indissoluble whole. The rationale put forward by its head, Henry Cole, was that by educating the general public in art they would 'demand good design in manufactures and be willing to pay for them'.
The South Kensington system's promotion of the twin objectives of cultural and economic development had strong appeal in 1880s Tasmania, which was seeking to build an autonomous manufacturing base of its own at the same time as transforming the colony's cultural life.
The twin social objectives of cultural and material development for Tasmania are fundamental guiding principles in the School's perceived mission today. The School of Art plays a unique role in Tasmanian society.
Charpentier's school impressed the then newly-elected Tasmanian Government of 1887 such that with Charpentier's own encouragement, it took over his school 'lock, stock and barrel', renaming it the Government Technical School. This institution in turn, was to be renamed the Hobart Technical College, within which the Art Department continued to flourish for 75 years. An oasis in an artistic desert, the Art Department constituted the major point of reference for the visual arts in Hobart. William Moore, in his seminal The Story of Australian Art (1934) highly praised the school, presenting it as a significant entity in the national artistic scene.
In 1963, the long-sought separation from the Technical College occurred when the State Government created the Tasmanian School of Art as an autonomous institution under the Education Department. Two present-day staff members were among the staff and students who were involved in the move from Bathurst Street to the old Gothic building on the Queen's Domain. During its time on the Domain, the Art School became a dynamic cultural force in the Tasmanian and particularly the Hobart community. After only eight years, however, it was on the move again: this time to Mt. Nelson, as part of the brand new Tasmanian College of Advanced Education.
The School's national reputation expanded markedly during its time at Mt. Nelson as it became more outward-looking, and student numbers grew considerably.
However, with the 1976 Inquiry into Post-Secondary Education in Tasmania recommending the dismantling of the Tasmanian College of Advanced Education (a forerunner of things to come across the nation) the 'home' designated in the wash-up for the School of Art was to be Launceston. In its wisdom, the Inquiry members had decided that Hobart would no longer have an Art School.
Fortunately, the Hobart community believed otherwise - and strongly. Politicians quickly assessed that here was a recommendation by the Inquiry which had to be redressed. The outcome was the School's transfer in 1981 to yet another parent institution: this time, the University of Tasmania. The incorporation into the University, coupled with its relocation to the Centre for the Arts - recognised as a world class art education facility - has generated even further growth of the School of Art.
Each of its various 'moves', from Charpentier's private school of 1884 through to the school of today, has involved the wholesale transfer from one institution to the next of staff, students, curriculum, equipment, and library. Today's school is the direct heir of the school of 1884. Since that time, the Tasmanian School of Art, with its commitment to both the cultural and economic development of Tasmania, has been an integral part of the Tasmanian community. As the principal custodian of the visual arts in this state, the School's highly specialised operations, yet its fundamentally culturally-directed functions, constitute an equilibrium which must be maintained.