The Standards
The National Standards for Exhibition Touring (the Standards) are guidelines designed to give structure to the process of generating, travelling, and evaluating touring exhibitions of art, objects, and creativity from an Australian context.
Below are the 15 Standards, which are explored in this resource through both Minimum Practice and Best Practice frameworks. As a set, the 15 Standards outline a benchmark for touring exhibitions, however the level of practice that each Standard can be engaged with will depend on available resources. Utilising existing networks, creating opportunities with reciprocal benefit, and collaborating to share resources are all recommended strategies for strengthening capacity and achieving a higher level of practice.
How to Use the Standards
The Standards have been designed to guide tour organisers through the process of touring an exhibition, however most resources and benchmarks are equally useful for host venues in establishing practices and setting expectations. The touring activity has been broken down into three sections ‘Before the Tour’, ‘During the Tour’, and ‘After the Tour’.
Beneath these three sections are subject headings that all relate to one specific Standard, such as ‘Selecting the Exhibition’.
Below each subject heading, the relevant Standard is listed with ‘Minimum Practice’, ‘Best Practice’ and ‘Guidance’, providing practical advice and helpful examples.
- ‘Minimum Practice’ indicates legal and ethical compliance
- ‘Best Practice’ outlines ways to make the offering more inclusive and supportive, adding value to the sector, creatives, and communities.
- ‘Guidance’ provides practical advice and helpful examples in what best practice can include. Next are ‘Standards in Action’, ‘Ready to Use Support’ and ‘Useful Resources & Further Reading’:
- ‘Standards in Action’ are real world case studies compiled to ignite ideas, inspire approaches, and demonstrate examples of best practice.
- ‘Ready to Use Support’ includes practical factsheets, templates that can be edited and adapted, activities to complete, or resources that can be added directly into a touring exhibition information package for host venues. This section has been designed to guide a tour organiser through the practical process of creating a touring exhibition.
- The ‘Useful Resources & Further Reading’ sections include information to encourage more informed practices and processes. More Support: The National Standards for Exhibition Touring is a work in progress that will grow and change with the needs of the sector and through the engagement of different consultants and specialists. If there are areas where you need more support, please contact your local State or Territory NETS Australia agency. Feedback: The National Standards for Exhibition Touring is a living resource that will be edited, added to, and revised based on sector need, access to subject matter experts, collaborative opportunities, and feedback from user experiences. If there are templates, helpful examples, or other resources that would make touring your content or receiving touring content easier, please submit feedback through your local State or Territory NETS Australia agency.
Definitions
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and First Nations people
This website uses First Nations peoples and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to refer to the First Peoples of Australia. These terms are not interchangeable with each other or with other descriptors, and neither encompasses the full diversity of distinct nations, language groups, and communities across this continent and its islands. Wherever possible, the preferred terminology of the specific person, community, or Country should be used. If you are unsure, ask.
Access
Removes physical, sensory, digital, geographical, economic, and social barriers so people with disability and others with diverse requirements and circumstances can participate in and engage with exhibitions and activities in ways that are safe, equitable, and free from discrimination.
Accessibility Standards
Agreed guidelines, requirements, or criteria, including both regulatory obligations and best practice guidance, that ensure environments, services, information, and products can be accessed and used by people with disability, people who are d/Deaf or hard of hearing, and people with specific access requirements on an equal basis with others.
Acknowledgement of Country
A verbal or written statement of recognition that can be made by any person (First Nations or non-First Nations), to acknowledge the Traditional Owners and Custodians of the Country on which an event or activity takes place, and their enduring connection to land, waters, and community. An Acknowledgement of Country does not require a Traditional Owner or Custodian to deliver it. It is distinct from a Welcome to Country, which is a formal ceremony that only Traditional Owners or Custodians can perform. An Acknowledgement should be genuine and specific to place, not formulaic.
Capacity
The skills, resources, time, and organisational or individual ability available to complete a project practically and sustainably to a professional standard.
Co-design
Co-design aims to create outcomes that are inclusive, accessible, and meaningful by embedding user insight, equity, and shared ownership from the outset. In this participatory approach, people who are affected by a project, service, or experience work collaboratively with designers, decision-makers, and other stakeholders to bring their diverse perspectives, lived experience, and professional expertise to jointly identify needs, generate ideas, and develop solutions. For example, co-design offers a collaborative approach where people with disability are actively involved in designing projects, services, or experiences that affect them, ensuring accessibility is built in from the beginning rather than added later.
Collateral
The printed and digital materials created to support an exhibition, including ephemera, catalogues, signage, labels, educational resources, and promotional assets. These designed inclusions assist in communicating key information to enhance visitor experience.
Contract
In a touring exhibition context, a contract is a legally binding document that defines the responsibilities, liabilities, and terms between the owner of an artwork/object and the borrower, or between the tour organiser and host venues to ensure the safe display and movement of cultural objects, or between tour organiser and persons engaged to undertake specific tasks associated with the touring project.
Copyright
Copyright is a type of intellectual property. In Australia, the Copyright Act 1968 (Cth) ('Copyright Act') gives copyright owners (often original creators in the first instance) exclusive rights to do certain things with their material and also includes provisions for creators’ moral rights (of correct attribution and integrity, see ‘Moral Rights’ below). The Copyright Act includes rules about who owns copyright if there is no agreement that governs this in place, duration of copyright (how long it lasts), and what is required when using a work, such as types of dealings with the work that need to be captured in writing and signed in order that they are legally enforceable.
Country
When capitalised in connection to Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples and cultures, Country is a proper noun referring to the ancestral lands, waterways, skies, and the living relationships — cultural, spiritual, ecological, and governance — that First Nations peoples maintain with those places. Country encompasses knowledge systems, responsibilities, and identities that have been sustained continuously for over 65,000 years. Every touring exhibition travels across Country.
Cultural load
The cumulative burden placed on First Nations individuals and members of other marginalised communities to educate, advise, represent, and advocate on behalf of their communities, often across multiple organisations and projects simultaneously, and frequently without adequate recognition or remuneration. Cultural load is a direct consequence of structural inequity and the expectation that First Nations peoples are responsible for closing knowledge gaps in non-First Nations institutions. Organisations working with First Nations peoples have a responsibility to actively reduce cultural load by drawing on existing First Nations-led resources, by investing in their own learning rather than relying on individuals to provide it, and by ensuring that any knowledge-sharing is properly resourced and compensated.
Cultural Safety
An environment in which people feel their cultural identity, authority, and ways of knowing are genuinely respected. Cultural safety challenges power imbalances and is particularly relevant for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, culturally and linguistically diverse peoples, and others whose identities have historically been marginalised or misrepresented in arts and cultural organisations. Cultural safety is maintained through ongoing practice, listening, and accountability.
Curriculum
In Australia, the curriculum is the structured framework that defines what students learn and how achievement is assessed across primary and secondary schooling. Nationally, the Australian Curriculum, developed by the Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA), provides a consistent foundation of learning areas, capabilities, and cross-curriculum priorities. Each state and territory authority adapts this into their own curriculum, which focus on delivering the national baseline curriculum in relation to local contexts and requirements. Together, these frameworks guide the progression of knowledge, skills, and capabilities from early years through to secondary education to support consistent, inclusive, and high-quality learning outcomes. For exhibitions, learning resources, also known as education kits, can be devised by artists, arts workers, or arts educators to express the themes or ideas within exhibitions through creative activities that also reflect the learning outcomes and priorities of national, and/or state, and territory curricula.
Disability
According to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disability, people with disability are those with long-term physical, mental, intellectual, or sensory conditions that, in interaction with barriers, may limit full participation in society. The Australian Bureau of Statistics defines disability as a limitation, restriction, or impairment lasting, or likely to last at least six months and affecting everyday activities. Disability may be temporary or permanent, visible or non-visible, total or partial, and can be acquired or lifelong.
Diversity
Differences in cultural background, ethnicity, gender identity, age, ability, socioeconomic status, participation requirements, remoteness, and lived experience. Recognition of the value of varied perspectives and participation is core to embracing diversity.
Facilities Report
A standardised document used by venues to outline their physical, environmental, and security conditions. Used by tour organisers to ensure artworks/objects will be safely handled, displayed, and stored and to support exhibition layout and design.
Feasibility
Considering whether available resources, skills, time, and budget realistically allow for a project to succeed. Feasibility assesses both ambition and achievable conditions before committing to a project.
Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC)
A principle established in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) affirming that Indigenous peoples have the right to give or withhold consent to projects, decisions, or activities that affect their rights, lands, cultures, or knowledge before those decisions are made. Free means consent is given without coercion or manipulation. Prior means consent is sought before any decision is finalised or activity begins. Informed means that all relevant information has been provided in a form that is accessible and understandable. FPIC is an ongoing process that must be maintained throughout the life of a project, and consent can be withdrawn. In a touring context, FPIC is relevant wherever First Nations cultural content, stories, or land are involved.
Host venue
Venues that host the exhibition as a part of an itinerary. While they may make changes to the exhibition in consultation with the tour organiser, a host venue agrees to present the content of a touring exhibition.
Inclusion
Designed environments, services, experiences, and initiatives so people with disability and others with diverse requirements, experiences, and circumstances can participate fully in society and are respected, valued, and supported.
Inclusive and Universal design
Two approaches that support equitable access. Universal design creates environments usable by as many people as possible. Inclusive design responds to diverse access requirements by providing multiple ways for people to participate.
Indigenous cultural and Intellectual Property (ICIP)
The rights that First Nations peoples hold over their cultural heritage, knowledge, and creative expression including stories, songs, ceremonies, language, designs, symbols, objects, and practices. ICIP is not equivalent to copyright and is not extinguished by the passage of time or changes in circumstance. The Australian government committed in 2023 through its national cultural policy, Revive, to the introduction of standalone legislation to protect ICIP. ICIP may determine how cultural material may be appropriately accessed, used, shared, and represented. Working with First Nations cultural content requires understanding and respecting ICIP, regardless of whether the material appears to be 'in the public domain'. The Creative Australia Protocols for using First Nations Cultural and Intellectual Property in the Arts are the primary reference for the sector.
Intellectual property
Assets arising from creative, intellectual, and innovative effort, such as designs, essays, and artistic works, that can be legally owned, protected, and commercialised.
Intersectionality
Recognises that overlapping aspects of identity can shape experiences of marginalisation and compound disadvantage, particularly for people who are part of more than one underrepresented group.
Invigilation
Supervision of gallery spaces during open hours to protect materials on display and enhance visitor experience.
Lived Experience
Personal knowledge shaped by culture, identity, and circumstances.
Moral Rights
Moral Rights are inalienable rights that protect the personal relationship a creator has with their work, even if they are not the owner of copyright in it. Moral Rights concern the creator's right to be properly attributed or credited, and the protection of their work from derogatory treatment. These rights remain with the creator even if copyright ownership is transferred.
Originating venue
The venue initially presenting a touring exhibition before it travels. The originating venue may also be the tour organiser. Sometimes the originating venue is well before the tour begins, or it may be the first venue of the tour. There may also be multiple originating venues presenting the first iterations in partnership with each other.
Per Diem
A daily allowance to cover meals and incidental expenses while travelling for work.
Prospectus
A document or platform with information outlining the exhibition’s content, requirements, costs, and contact details for potential venues. Sometimes referred to as an Expression of Interest.
Public Programs
Events, workshops, performances, artist/curator talks, and educational activities designed to engage audiences and local communities with exhibitions. Public programs aim to foster participation and share ideas.
Remuneration
Payment for time, expertise, labour, lived experience, or cultural knowledge at a fair and industry-standard rate. In a First Nations engagement context, remuneration is not optional or discretionary but is a baseline requirement. Consultation, advisory input, Welcome to Country ceremonies, the provision of cultural knowledge, and participation in governance or decision-making processes are all professional contributions that must be compensated appropriately and budgeted for from the outset of any project. Consultation without remuneration is extractive and undermines the legitimacy of the engagement. See also: Cultural load; and Free, Prior and Informed Consent.
Sector relevance
The significance or meaning a project has in the broader arts and culture industry.
Social Model of Disability
Asserts that disability is created by societal barriers rather than an individual’s impairment. In contrast, the Medical model frames the individual as the problem, assuming they must fix or cure their condition to participate in society. The Social model instead emphasises removing physical, attitudinal, communication, and systemic barriers so people with disability can participate fully and equitably.
Self-determination
The right of peoples to determine their own political status and to pursue their own economic, social, and cultural development; a foundational principle of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). In a practical arts and cultural context, self-determination means that First Nations peoples have the right to control how their cultural heritage is used, represented, and shared; to lead decisions about projects that affect their communities; and to define the terms of their own engagement with institutions and organisations. Supporting self-determination means creating conditions for genuine First Nations authority and leadership.
Staff
People employed by an organisation to carry out its operations, programs, and services.
Sustainability
Practices that consider long-term environmental, cultural, and social impact. Sustainability includes reducing ecological footprint, preserving cultural heritage, and fostering ethical production.
Tour organiser
The curator, artist, or organisation operating and managing the touring exhibition. The tour organiser may also be the originating venue. There may be multiple tour organisers.
Touring exhibition
A movable cultural project.
United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP)
An international human rights instrument adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 2007, establishing the minimum standards for the rights of Indigenous peoples worldwide. Australia endorsed UNDRIP in 2009. UNDRIP affirms Indigenous peoples' rights to self-determination, cultural heritage, land and territories, language, education, and Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) in relation to decisions that affect them. It is the foundational international framework underpinning Standard 1 of the National Standards for Exhibition Touring and the principles set out in the companion First Nations Engagement in Exhibition Touring guidance. UNDRIP recognises and codifies rights that have always existed.
Volunteer
An individual who freely gives their time and expertise to support an organisation without financial compensation.
Welcome to Country
A formal ceremony performed only by Traditional Owners or Custodians to welcome visitors onto their Country. A Welcome to Country follows longstanding cultural protocols and can only be extended by someone with the cultural authority to do so. It cannot be performed by a non-First Nations person or by a First Nations person from a different Country. A Welcome to Country should always be arranged in advance, and in genuine relationship with the person performing it.
Working with children compliance
Statutory requirements to safeguard the health and safety of children.
Feedback
Feedback: The National Standards for Exhibition Touring is a living resource that will be edited, added to, and revised based on sector need, access to subject matter experts, collaborative opportunities, and feedback from user experiences. If there are templates, helpful examples, or other resources that would make touring your content or receiving touring content easier, please submit feedback through your local State or Territory NETS Australia agency.