The long-postponed Finding Home exhibition has finally arrived, exploring the regional youth 'exodus'

The unique art-science collaboration is based on a three-year research project into the relationship of youth and the towns they grow up in. The reasons why youth leave regional Australia, why some remain and why others return.

The project covered three towns, selected for strong economies and job opportunities. The three towns were Griffith, Port Lincoln in South Australia and Port Hedland in West Australia.

Dr Candice Boyd explained that the idea was to communicate the stories they'd heard in the process of the research.

"What the exhibition has done has translated that into a form that allows people to hear those young people's stories," she said.

"All of the artworks are based on things young people told us. There's photos taken from young people we interviewed, and there are other works that kind of summarise what people said to us."

She added that she was keen to see more creative ways of scientific communication in the future, citing that they were generally more accessible than thesis papers.

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The "Finding Home" research showed a number of fascinating conclusions, pointing out that the decision to leave is ultimately an emotional one for many young people.

"The overall finding was really that in places where there's lots of opportunities, the decision to stay or go comes down to how they feel and if they feel comfortable and safe. They're emotional decisions," Dr Boyd said.

"A lot of young people feel pressured to leave, that's almost a cultural expectation. Throughout school and growing up, they're taught that to be successful, they have to leave and that can be really hard for people who don't want to. There's a bit of a cultural shift that needs to happen there."

The exhibition will be on display at the Griffith Regional Art Gallery until November 7.

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