Craft Australia news

1 December 2004

Craft Australia News is distributed free to subscribers every month. It presents information and news relating to the contemporary craft sector from a national perspective. Distribution within the sector is encouraged and new readers can subscribe for free on the Craft Australia website.
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Reflections from the Craft Australia Board
The Board of Directors for Craft Australia are involved in the cultural community in a range of differing capacities and each is totally committed to furthering the task of Craft Australia. more...

Australian Sculpture, Objects and Functional Art
SOFA 2004 has come and gone with a flurry of international action. Australian artists and galleries have once again benefited from the focused attention on Sculpture, Objects and Functional Art presented annually in Chicago and New York. Craft Australia presents some of the highlights of this year's SOFA art fair including a report by Stephen Bowers, Managing Director of the JamFactory Contemporary Craft & Design Centre. Craft Australia highlights

Craft Australia goes on holidays
Sun, sea and surf - here we come. Craft Australia's office will be closed over the feastive season from 24 December to 11 January 2005. The next issue of the newsletter will be in February bringing you the exciting contemporary craft news and events for 2005.

News from the Craft Australia website

Australia Council promotes community arts
The National General Assembly of Local Government is convened by the Australian Local Government Association (ALGA) for local councils across Australia to develop and express a united voice on the core issues affecting local government and their communities.

Since the early 1990s the Australia Council and ALGA have worked to promote and secure support for the community arts and cultural development as a core function of local government. Jennifer Bott, Chief Executive Officer of the Australia Council introduced Dr. Hugh Mackay's keynote address, "Is the tide turning for communities?" more...

2004 Graduation Exhibitions
The year concludes for the Australian national art institutions with their student graduation exhibitions. The exhibitions showcase Australia's newest talents and presents a unique opportunity for students to have their work viewed by sponsors, collectors and galleries. When and where? more...

The Ministries ...
Who's now doing what? The Ministers we need to know about. more...

News from the sector

Icons of Australian craft
Object announces a new exhibition series recognising three of Australia's leading senior craft practitioners as 'icons' of Australian craft and design. Icons media release

Ten Days on the Island 2005 - the ultimate arts trip April 2005
The breathtaking beauty and rich cultural life of Australia's island state will again take centre stage when the curtain goes up on the third instalment of Tasmania's celebrated Ten Days on the Island festival on 1 April next year. Visit Ten Days on the Island website and Feature story by arts@work

Alice Prize 2004
Image of Nicky Schonkala's work Girl looks backward girl looks forward The Alice Springs Art Foundation was pleased to announce that the 33rd Alice Prize 2004 was awarded jointly to Nicky Schonkala of the Northern Territory for Girl looks backward girl looks forward and Tony Coleing of New South Wales for Command F. Read the judge's comments

Inaugural Constance Gordon-Johnson Prize
Congratulations to Sarah Crowest, the winner of the Inaugural Contance Gordon-Johnson Prize for sculpture and installation. Adelaide Review

Awesome Horsham!
From Art e Facts Country Arts WA
"Country Arts WA staff returned to the office this week having spent a few very exciting and inspiring days at the Regional Arts Australia National Conference Meeting Place. It was fantastic to see a great turnout of delegates from WA and to meet people from all around the country working in regional arts. The conference program was extensive and diverse, and I heard many lamenting the physical limitation of being unable to be in two places at once! As eight Country Arts WA staff members, we managed to cover the great majority of events and will be sharing our learning and ideas with others."

Everything in Between
Concerned about the way in which design is being taught, and the subsequent loss of craft?

If you believe craft skills are being sacrificed to technology and that educators are pushing executions over ideas, then Melbourne's 3 Deep Design has something for you. For more than two years, the company's two principals, Brett Phillips and David Roennfeldt, have been quietly developing their own education program, entitled Everything in Between. The aim of the program - which launches next March - is to give students and recent graduates the opportunity to extend themselves through a series of workshops that will see leading industry practitioners challenge students with a number of intellectual and practical exercises.

Visit the Everything in Between website to get the full run down on this innovative project and the speakers in the 2005 program.

Summer Schools

Gold and Silversmithing School of Art Canberra January 2005
ANU Master Class Gail Nichols - soda firing 17 - 19 and 20 - 22 January 2005
ANU Master Class Trudy Golley - paper plaster 17 - 19 January 2005
Sturt Summer School 3 - 8 January 2005
National Art School Sydney 10 - 14 January 2005
McGregor Summer School 2005 10 - 21 January 2005

2004 Digital Content Industry Action Agenda Industry Forums
The Australian Government has initiated an industry action agenda for the digital content industries following two years of research by the Creative Industries Cluster Study. Agenda overview...

Rhodes to UTS
Internationally renowned fashion designer, Zandra Rhodes, has been officially appointed as an Adjunct Professor in the faculty of Design, Architecture and Building at the University of Technology, Sydney. more...

(tech)bootlegging/modding
The subject of this manner of designing (bootlegging and modding) no longer is interrelating form to function, but rather the rearrangement of found objects. Designboom shows all

Articles

Artshub The 16th Tamworth Fibre Textile Biennial
State of the Art New Indigenous Art Gallery for Sydney
Artshub Perth Festival 'transcends' expectations with 2005 lineup
State of the Arts Pushing Boundaries; Contemporary Women's Art Alex McDonald
On Line Opinion Reinventing the university Owen McShane
On Line Opinion The intellectual role of universities? Gray Southon
On Line Opinion University research funding Margaret Scheil
Moving forward with Australian technical colleges The Hon Gary Hardgrave, MP
Artshub Show me the vision Vanessa Paech

Craft Australia gratefully acknowledges the financial assistance it receives from the Australia Council for the Arts, the Australian government's arts funding and advisory body.