Tasmanian LiFE Awards – 2025 Nominee
Innovative Practice and Research LiFE Award
The Innovative Practice and Research LiFE Award recognises outstanding contributions in the field of suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention through innovative practices and/or research. This award aims to acknowledge research that strengthens our understanding of effective suicide prevention strategies, including those addressing recent events that threaten mental health. It also aims to recognise individuals or groups who have adopted novel and unique approaches to suicide prevention.
Proudly sponsored by Newport and Wildman
Aimee Rowland and Blue Tree Gallery
Aimee, an artist and mental health advocate, founded Blue Tree Galley to raise awareness of mental wellbeing and suicide prevention through art. By hosting community-focused exhibitions, using innovative practices, and organising fundraising initiatives, the gallery combines art with advocacy in the hopes of making a change.
Aimee created the gallery based on her own lived experience of mental illness. She wanted to create a space where art could be both a medium for self-expression and a tool for mental health awareness. The unique gallery, housed in a repurposed 40-ft shipping container in Cradle Mountain, fosters sense of connection between nature, adaptability and art. The space offers a welcoming environment where vulnerability is normalised and safe, open discussions are encouraged. Aimee’s personal art practice, which often explores themes of trauma and healing, adds to the gallery’s powerful narrative and inspires others to engage with their own mental health journeys.
Collaboration is key to Blue Tree Gallery’s innovative desire to blend art, mental health advocacy and community engagement. The gallery has run a Mental Health Month fundraiser to support Lifeline Tasmania and has taken part in broader mental health initiatives. By working with local artists and people with lived experience of mental illness, the gallery makes sure its exhibitions authentically reflect the realities of mental health struggles, helping to reduce stigma and promote understanding.
Through its innovative blend of creative expression, community involvement, and sustainable design, Blue Tree Gallery advances the conversation around suicide prevention in a novel and impactful way.
