Launching this week are three new exhibitions.  It has been a delight for our team to work with the Tjanpi Desert Weavers, curator Liz Williamson and the artists in Weaving matter and contemporary jewellery artist Kirsten Haydon to bring these exhibitions to life. Read all about the exhibitions below.

This week we also launched the Strategic Framework: First Nations Engagement 2023–2027 which provides practical and ethical guidelines to support ADC’s commitment to First Nations art, craft and design across all levels of our organisation, including the Board, staff, creatives, community, audiences, partners and collaborators. We worked with Donna Biles Fernando and Debbie Abraham to develop the framework. They did an amazing job and we look forward now to implementation.  

In case you missed our announcement last week, we are delighted to be working with ceramic artist Vipoo Srivilasa to produce and present his project re/JOY that is supported by a $100,000 commissioning grant from the Australia Council for the Arts.  The exhibition will be launched towards the end of 2024.

I would like to dedicate this issue of Craft + Design News to Alix Fiveash. Alix worked with me and the team to produce many communications over her six year tenure  and we wish her well in her new endeavours. 

Thanks for reading!

Lisa Cahill
CEO and Artistic Director 

Exhibitions + Events  

Mutukaku Ngura: Motorcar Country

Across the Aṉangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) Lands, old motorcars are laid to rest, twisted metallic and glass shards glittering under the endless sky. When a car is set alight, the plastic and upholstery disintegrate under the flames leaving behind sculptural wire skeletons and rusted bonnets and doors, reminiscent of dry desert scapes.

Artists in the exhibition include: Bridget Baker, Kathy Dodd, Kim Dodd, Fiona Dodd, Ngilan (Margaret) Dodd, Kayla Gayla, Collette Stewart, Pinuka (Margaret) Yai Yai and Amy Yilpi.

When: 30 March – 24 May 2023
Website: Explore here

Weaving matter: materials and context

Weaving matter: materials and context, curated by Liz Williamson, showcases the work of 14 contemporary practitioners, who are making their ideas visible by experimenting with diverse materials in their weaving practice.

Exhibiting artists: Christine Appleby | Sally Blake | Mary Burgess | Hannah Cooper | Blake Griffiths | Amanda Ho | Lise Hobcroft | Kelly Leonard | Jennifer Robertson | Nien Schwarz | Jacqueline Stojanović | Jane Théau | Ilka White | Monique van Nieuwland

When: 30 March – 24 May 2023
Website: Explore here

Australian Design Centre + Melbourne Design Fair 

Melbourne Design Fair is an annual platform curated by the National Gallery of Victoria and delivered in collaboration with the Melbourne Art Foundation, for designers, commercial galleries, design agencies and organisations to come-together under one roof to promote and sell the best collectible design from Australia and the world.

Australian Design Centre, in a booth collaboration with our friends at Australian Tapestry Workshop, will present ten NSW based designers at the Fair.

Curated by Rina Bernabei with Lisa Cahill, the designers are:  Bernabeifreeman, Jan Downes, Ben McCarthy, Stephanie Phillips, Tim Robertson, Kenny Yong-soo Son, Upcycled Glassware, Zoë Veness, Liz Williamson and Dominic White.

When: 18–21 May 2023
Where: Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre
Tickets: $10 - $35 

MAKE Award Enter Now

Entries are now open for MAKE Award: Biennial Prize for Innovation in Australian Craft and Design, a new national award for Australian designer/makers.

The winner of the MAKE Award will receive a cash prize of $35,000 with a second prize of $10,000, making it the richest non-acquisitive prize for craft and design in Australia.

The MAKE Award is open to designer/makers working across all related disciplines including ceramics, glass, furniture/woodwork, metalwork, textiles and fibre, and contemporary jewellery.

Entries are encouraged from designer/makers with a high level of skill either working with materials that are new to their practice or working in new and innovative ways.

Entries open: 8 March 2023
Entries close: 9 June 2023
Finalists notified: 11 August 2023
Exhibition dates: 28 September – 22 November 2023

Object Shop: Handmade, Unique, Collectible

Visit Object Shop for unique, limited edition jewellery, ceramics, objects and textiles from leading and emerging Australian designer makers. 

Woven baskets and animals from the Tjanpi Desert Weavers are available in the shop alongside the exhibition Mutukaku Ngura: Motorcar Country.

Opening hours are Tuesday to Friday 11am - 5pm and Saturdays 11am - 4pm.  Shop online 24/7.

ADC On Tour 

Touring has been central to our work for 50 years. Since the 1970s ADC has toured nationally and been at the forefront of providing regional Australia with access to cutting edge work and ideas. Three ADC On Tour exhibitions have now finished long tours and new projects are in development.

ADC On Tour exhibitions now on across Australia:

SIXTY: The Journal of Australian Ceramics 60th Anniversary 1962–2022 opens at JamFactory, Adelaide on 4 May. 

Find out more about ADC On Tour here.

From our friends

Love what we do? 

There are many ways that you can help us to support a creative Australia.

• Donate to support creativity! Leave a gift in your Will. 

• Join ADC Friends

• Volunteer

• Buy unique handmade

Follow us on social and digital for updates.

About Australian Design Centre 

Established in 1964, Australian Design Centre is an independent impact organisation based in Sydney. We create opportunities for people to engage with design, craft and creativity through dynamic and high-quality national touring exhibitions, publishing, digital and educational activities.

We ignite creativity and innovative ideas through:

Exhibitions – Showcasing the best making and design by Australian creators.
Touring – Bringing the power of making and design to new audiences across Australia.
Learning – Inspiring Australians to use design to transform their future.

Australian Design Centre is supported by the generosity of our partners and donors, the Visual Arts and Craft Strategy, an initiative of the Australian, State and Territory Governments, the New South Wales Government through Create NSW, the Australian Government through the Australia Council, its arts funding and advisory body, and the City of Sydney.

Australian Design Centre is a member of Australian Craft and Design Centres network, Australian Museum and Galleries Association, Arts Law, NAVA, Regional and Public Galleries NSW and the Sydney Culture Network. 

Acknowledgement

Australian Design Centre is proud to be a creative place located on Gadigal Country.

We acknowledge and pay our respects to the Traditional Owners, the Gadigal People, and to Elders past and present.

As an arts organisation with national connections, we also pay our respects to all First Peoples across the country.

We recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture as the oldest continuing culture in the world. We celebrate the diversity of language, culture, custom, ceremony and knowledge (Lore) of First Peoples as Traditional Owners, custodians and communities with an ongoing connection across land, sea and waterways.

We acknowledge that the lands on which we live and work are unceded – always was, always will be, Aboriginal Land.