2022 Craft ACT Annual Report

with the environment. The
resulting exhibition, CONFLUENCE,
embodied the essence of the
Artists-in-Residence program
with Valerie and Harriet exploring
new ideas, research, and material
to then experiment, explore, and
develop a deeper relationship
with the landscape, their practice,
and themselves. This outstanding
exhibition was awarded a
Canberra Critics Circle Award for
Visual Arts at the 32nd Annual ACT
Arts Awards in November.
In celebration of the extraordinary
work of our Craft ACT artist
members, our annual members
exhibition opened its doors in
September. The Nurture Exhibition
showcased contemporary
expressions of craft and design
uniting time-honoured techniques
with modern interpretations.
The works presented complex
responses to the theme of
nurture, the post pandemic social
environment, the influence of the
pandemic, the climate crisis, and
the critical need to look after each
other and our world.
2022 ended with three
exhibitions celebrating the best
in contemporary design and
craftmanship nationally and
globally; the inaugural 2022 Robert
Foster F!NK National Metal Prize,
Home Life and Seeing Seventies.
Honouring the late Robert Foster,
the F!NK National Metal Prize
celebrated the outstanding work
of ten contemporary metalworkers,
designers, and craftspeople
with generous cash prizes and
an exhibition supported by F!NK
+ Co., the Tall Foundation, and
Craft ACT. The selected finalists
represented the value of highquality
craft making skills, sound
design, and innovation. The overall
and emerging prize was awarded
to Gretal Ferguson, with Larah Nott
awarded the acquisition prize.
Craft ACT was delighted to
continue collaborating with the
Embassy of Italy, a partner of
DESIGN Canberra since 2018.
Together with the IMF Foundation
in Rome, we brought Home Life
curated by Elisabetta Pisu to
Craft ACT. This exciting exhibition
of contemporary Italian design
revealed how houses could
evolve in the future and showed
how objects can enhance our
enjoyment of being home.
Showcasing the photographs
of over 40 Canberra region
photographers, Seeing Seventies,
was the results of the 2021
DESIGN Canberra Festival
photography competition. The
theme for 2021’s competition
was ‘Design in the 70’s’,
encouraging professional and
amateur photographers to take
photos which take a closer look
at Canberra’s iconic design and
architecture from the 1970s. Four
finalists were selected, Cathy
Breen, Henry Buttriss, and Lachlan
Herring (2 selected for the open
category and 2 selected for the
student category) with one overall
winner, Aaron Puls, announced at
the opening.
First Nation craft and design are
embedded in our artistic and
public programs. During 2022,
Craft ACT supported more
First Nations artists than the
previous year with 21 First Nations
practitioners exceptional craft and
design works from across Australia
represented.
This included:
• Mitjili Napurrula (Papunya) an
Ikuntji textile artist featured in
the HOME:MADE exhibition.
• Kayannie Denigan (Luritja) a
designer and mixed media artist
featured in the HOME:MADE
exhibition.
• Leonie Kumutu (Papunya) an
Ikuntji textile artist featured in
the HOME:MADE exhibition.
• Mackenzie Saddler (Wiradjuri)
a designer and painter of the
graphic intervention, Geological
Transformations.
• Wayne Simon (Biripi) a designer
and maker featured in the
Golden Years exhibition.
• Sophi Suttor a ceramist featured
in the Nurture Member’s
Exhibition.
• James Tylor (Kaurna and Te
Arawa) a designer and maker
featured in Fire Country.
• Leah Brideson (Kamilaroi) a
designer and co-painter of the
graphic intervention, Currents.
6:30 Sessions, Emerging Contemporaries, and You get a Rhythm about It exhibition opening, 2022. Photography 5Foot
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