Articles - 31 August 2005
New look Craft Australia news
This month Craft Australia launches 716 craft·design. The new look news. The restyled and renamed news reflects the feedback we have received from you over the past 12 months and offers the range of services you have come to expect from the Craft Australia, plus much more.
716 craft·design is packed with more information about Australian and international craft·design; more news, events and happenings in the sector and a new-look listings section with exhibitions, opportunities, conferences and projects from all over the world. Going out to over 1200 subscribers throughout Australia and the world, the growth of the newsletter has led Craft Australia to rethink the way we deliver quality craft·design information to a growing audience.
So why have we changed the look of the newsletter?
The context for this change reflects research Craft Australia has undertaken over the past year through programs such as Interact: Contemporary craft in a digital future online forum.
Through the online discussion feedback we recognise the strength of the Australian craft sector and the dynamic position of craft in our cultural and artistic community. As such Craft Australia will continue to feature stories on creative excellence in the craft.design field reflecting the haptic sensibilities that are synonymous with the industry. While drawing on the strength of craft practice tradition, we are also mindful of reflecting new developments. Over the last seven years, there have been dramatic changes in what is perceived as 'craft' in Australia and globally. These changes have been influenced by:
- A strong desire by practitioners to achieve sustainable practice without compromising excellence in creative production. In order to achieve this makers work across a spectrum of practice modalities e.g. from studio based production, commissioning, exhibition and one-off, workshop/teaching/lecturing, public art, designing to a brief and designing for manufacture.
- The sector being inclusive of traditional craft methodologies through to industrial technologies. It is very interdisciplinary and responsive to change with practitioners more likely to call themselves a 'designer' or 'designer-maker' rather than craftsperson as a response to this flexibility.
- The opportunities for craft/designer makers to access manufacturing methodologies as a result of technological developments has dramatically increased opportunities for batch production, and many makers are embracing this opportunity as an economically sustainable option to support their exhibition work.
In many ways the organisations that support practitioners have also changed to reflect these new directions. The most visible aspect of this flexible approach being through name changes such as Form and Object. From a governmental position the focus on design and the related creative industries has never been in sharper focus than it is with the current Government. The most significant outcome of their interest in the arts is the recent working group commissioned by the Prime Minister's Science, Engineering and Innovation Council to look into the role of creativity in the innovation economy. Craft Australia's response to this challenge was a clear declaration of the strength in the Australian craft·design industry to lead in this capacity.
The role of design as a catalyst for growth and sustainability was also a key point of discussion at the 2005 Humanities on the Hill Program where CHASS organised for over 180 national representatives from the Humanities Arts and Social Sciences to lobby politicians at Parliament House. It was a very successful 2 days of lobbying and those of us who were there had an opportunity to draw political attention to the economic contribution bought to the Gross Domestic Product by this industry.
The Australia Council has also recognised the value of design within the mix of the Visual Arts/Craft Board. This year for the first time they awarded seed funding to three artists Bianca Looney, Rod Bamford and Oliver Smith through a strategic initiative called Maker to Manufacture to Market, to enable them to develop their prototypes for production and retail.
We find ourselves in the interesting position where Government is beginning to acknowledge the contribution the arts and particularly craft·design is making to the creative industries and sustainable practices. The increased funding to the sector through the Visual Arts Craft Strategy is a clear indicator of this position.
By way of introduction this has been a quick glimpse at the national and international context for changes in the craft·design industry. 716 craft·design, the new look Craft Australia news is in response to this evolving environment. As the peak advocacy organisation for the sector Craft Australia is taking a leadership role in response to this change. I trust you will enjoy 716 craft·design and we welcome your comments and feedback on this new issue. craft@craftaustralia.com.au
Sincerely
Catrina Vignando
General Manager
September 2005
