Australian craft and design centres are tired of falling between the conversation cracks; they have rebooted their network for greater visibility and value within a broader arts sector that is increasingly more dynamic.
Installation view STEEL: art design architecture travelled from JamFactory, opening Australian Design Centre. Photo: Rhiannon Hopley.
The Australian Craft and Design Centres Network (ACDC) is not new. Like so many good ideas that burnt bright, they can peter off with time, and join the list of yet another thing to maintain.
Revisiting such initiatives, however, can prove valuable.
As the makers movement and wellness have both gained traction in recent years, interest in contemporary craft and design has seen a huge jump in engagement, with many of Australia’s centres facing waiting lists for their workshops and over-subscribed makers market.
Gina Fairley is ArtsHub's Senior Contributor, after 12 years in the role as National Visual Arts Editor. She has worked for extended periods in America and Southeast Asia, as gallerist, arts administrator and regional contributing editor for a number of magazines, including Hong Kong based Asian Art News and World Sculpture News. She is an Art Tour leader for the AGNSW Members, and lectures regularly on the state of the arts. She is based in Mittagong, regional NSW.
Instagram: fairleygina
