Tasmanian School of Art - History

The Tasmanian School of Art can trace its roots back to July 2, 1884, when W.H.Charpentier's private School of Art opened in the old Mechanic's Institute building on Melville Street. Charpentier's art school was based on the principles of the 'South Kensington system', which stated that fine art and design education were an interdependent, indissoluble whole. Later in 1887, the institution was renamed the Hobart Technical College, within which the Art Department continued to flourish for 75 years.

However, the Art school hoped to separate from the Technical College, and this came true in 1963 when the State Government created the Tasmanian School of Art as an independent institution under the Education Department. Since its beginning at Charpentier's Art School, the Tasmanian School of Art has kept the commitment to both the cultural and economic development of Tasmania, and has been an integral part of the Tasmanian art community.