Craft ACT: Craft + Design Centre: 2006 Annual Report

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PUBLIC PROGRAM incorporating Publishing, Membership, Marketing programs The Craft ACT Public Program meets key objectives of the Craft ACT Business Plan: • to promote contemporary craft and design, individual craft and design artists and Craft ACT • to increase regional, national and international exposure and export of ACT contemporary craft and design; • to increase and enhance professional development in the sector; • foster audience and commercial relationships for contemporary craft artists and designers • to encourage a knowledge and appreciation of contemporary craft in the wider community • Craft ACT: Craft and Design Centre prides itself on implementing a strategic and dynamic public program and effective promotions providing a vital connection between artists and audiences of the Canberra community. A more stable infrastructure and a detailed business plan has made this program more effective, yet it is still very limited in its capacity in comparison with other state sister organisations, which have all increased staffing numbers and resources to this area. Craft ACT looks at opportunities that can capitalise on its exhibition and membership programs and has been creative in developing various avenues to push ahead with fresh programs that enhance public participation, awareness and understanding. • Reaching into parts of the community that are not aware of Craft ACT or not inclined to the arts requires substantial monetary support and innovative approaches. Craft ACT is still behind other states in VACS funding and consequently relies on other grants (in a diminishing and very competitive market) and innovative ideas. Craft ACT has been successful in collaborating with other organisations and as such is becoming known as a supportive and valuable local Canberra arts organisation. Craft ACT is a leader of local cultural programs for the community. Key events and activities that Craft ACT led, hosted, and collaborated in include: • Metamorphosis: reconstituting tradition Craft ACT in collaboration with the ANU School of Art Wood Workshop organised a series of exhibitions and artists talks across Canberra to focus on contemporary furniture design and making. 1200 x 2400, Perfect Balance and Talent Enough, a retrospective of the work of Alan Wale drew attention to the furniture and object making with Australian wood and new materials. This included the special Artforum event at the ANU School of Art titled: The Hand in the 21 st Century, featuring a panel of artists from each of the three exhibitions. Alan Wale presented a talk about the exhibition Perfect Balance at the Strathnairn Homestead Gallery. This talk exposed the remarkable knowledge and talent that Alan posses as he was able to describe and converse on each object, even though he is now blind. • Accredited Professional Member (APM) Activities: ‣ Launch of new program: Craft ACT has rejuvenated this area of its membership, spending two years in discussion to revamp this membership and the services it provides. This membership is a corner stone of the organisation and contains locally, nationally and internationally renowned contemporary craft and design artists based in Canberra. Craft ACT held an information discussion night in August with its APM’s to launch its new program and engage in feedback and conversation about the revised program. ‣ Connected: As part of its new programs Craft ACT began a series of networking events designed to engage with leading figures professional members of the 18
community to share knowledge and ideas with this membership group. The first event was hosted after the discussion of the new program. o Catrina Vignando presented a talk on the Craft ACT online forum: Youth@craft.design, and Gilbert Riedelbauch presented a talk on the new design courses being run at the Australian National University School of Art. o Annie Trevillian presented a Travelogue of her recent visit to the New Textile Design Centre of Montreal and the Australian National Universities Outside Studies Program. ‣ Series 3: As part of the new program for the APM Craft ACT hosted conversations with three of its AP Members. These events are designed to be an informal discussion between the artist and Director and Curator and to engage directly with the audiences. The three participating artists included Itzell Tazzyman, Johannes Kuhnen and Janet deBoos. • Free Undergraduate Membership: Craft ACT developed a strategy to directly approach and invite ANU School of Art undergraduates to take up free email based membership with Craft ACT. 80% of undergraduates targeted became new members with Craft ACT. This program was enhanced in 2006 to include Canberra Institute of Technology (approx. 35% of targeted students became members), and the University of Canberra Design School (approx. 10% of students targeted became members). • (Get With) The Program: In partnership with Canberra Contemporary Art Space, Craft ACT presented for the second year running a series of advice seminars on issues for professional practice. With the primary target being emerging artists, it was discovered that other members with no tertiary qualifications were being provided with crucial support. The seminars included: Grant Writing; Documentation + Credit Information; ABN, GST, copyright and contracts; Freight; Exhibition Proposal; and Exhibition Design and layout. • High End: Hand Made 1: Bocket launch. Craft ACT presented an evening of high fashion and originality as it launched a new bag by member Imogen Keen as part of a fashion launch of the 2006/07 Spring Summer range of fashion boutique Department of the Exterior. Department of the Exterior specialises in new Australian fashion designers and the inclusion of the fashion parade to emphasise the new hand crafted product – the Bocket, was a highlight event. The evening was a smart coupling of fashion parade with original hand made product – the Bocket. This feature carefully choreographed into the evenings event ensured a well attended and successful event. As well as sales on the night at Craft ACT, Imogen Keen’s Bocket sales at The Department of the Exterior increased all the way through to Christmas. Attendance at the event was higher than expected filling the Gallery to capacity • High End: Hand Made 2: Unleashed: Craft ACT hosted a second product launch for four of its members. Joining Accredited Professional Members were two emerging artists presenting original production products. Jonathan Baskett and Scott Mitchell, two experienced craft artists who have extensive experience marketing and are both successful exporters, both presented new ranges for the event. Halie Lamb and Emily O’Brien are two recent graduates from the ANU School of Art Gold and Silversmithing workshop and presented a range of original contemporary work. Both artists enjoyed sales and orders for their work. As a result of this experience Halie Lambe attended a retail design fair in Sydney as a wholesale maker enjoying reasonable success and gaining further experience. The opening event was designed to have a night club feel with live music and open bar inside the gallery. Audiences enjoyed the different feel generated by this event and this resulted in sales for the artists. • Retail: Craft ACT has internally been examining the possibility of retail opportunities for its members, as continued feedback from members and enquiries from the general public indicate a market for this retail. Canberra’s retail sector has been progressively developing to be broader in scope and educated in the area of original product. This is reflected in 19
Page 1 and 2: Annual Report 2006 Craft ACT: Craft
Page 3 and 4: approximately 150 artists. He overs
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Page 7 and 8: ‣ Organisation structure MANAGEME
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Page 11 and 12: general public by participating in
Page 13 and 14: • Foster commercial relationships
Page 15 and 16: KPI’S 1. Exhibition partnerships
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Craft ACT: Craft + Design Centre: 2006 Annual Report

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