Articles - 25 October 2005

A festival of contemporary craft

There are some fabulous craft and design exhibitions around Australia not to be missed. A few highlights to whet your appetite.

Gwyn Hanssen Pigott: A survey of Works 1955 -2005 at the National Gallery of Victoria. In conjunction with this exhibition is the Craft Victoria Annual lecture presented at the National Gallery of Victoria by Tanya Harrod Professor at the Royal College of Art in London and Britain's leading craft writer and commentator on Gwyn Hanssen Pigott's work.

Les Blakebrough: Ceramics is on at Object Galleries in Sydney. This exhibition is part of the Living Treasures: Masters of Australian craft series that celebrates Australia's most respected icons of craft. The Les Blakebrough exhibition is open to the public from 18 November and is accompanied by a magnificent monograph written by Jonathan Holmes. Don't miss the interview between Les Blakebrough and Grace Cochrane, Senior Curator of Decorative Arts at the Powerhouse Museum.

If your preference is for total immersion in glass then The Cutting Edge, cut and engraved glass presented by the Wagga Wagga Art Gallery in NSW is a must see. The catalogue essay by Geoffrey Edwards is a feature article in this months 716 craft·design.

And for contemporary craft with a historical overview then Inspired: Design across time at the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney is for you.

A comprehensive list of exhibitions is available in our exhibition calendar which is updated weekly.