Design Centre Tasmania

In 1976 The Design Centre of Tasmania, a new retail craft and design gallery, was opened by Gary and Pat Cleveland in Tamar Street, Launceston. The original aim of the Design Centre was to stimulate a growing cottage industry of high quality craft and design produced by Tasmanians. At first the Centre had to supplement its stock with art supplies and materials from interstate; however, soon it developed its policy (still active today) of stocking only Tasmanian items. The Design Centre, as a newly developed retail gallery, held regular showings of the work of emerging practitioners, amongst them the then-unknown wood designer Kevin Perkins and leather worker Gary Greenwood. It achieved a reputation for innovative and inspiring work. For many artists it provided the first portal through which their work could be viewed by and sold to the general public. The Design Centre retail gallery was converted into a not-for-profit trust in 2002. Proceeds from the Trust are directed towards the upkeep of the Museum and Temporary Exhibitions Program.