Australian Design Centre turned 60! A milestone that has made this a special year of celebrations.
We thank the many, many people who have enriched this year of projects and connections.
In February we celebrated the 35 Australian and international artists making extraordinary work in contemporary textiles in the International Art Textile Biennale. As Curator, weaver and academic Liz Williamson said in launching the exhibition, “ Works that use diverse and unexpected materials can ‘push the boundaries of textile art’. As Anni Albers wrote in 1982 that - we can use any material to make our ideas visible and any material can take on the burden of what has been brewing in our consciousness or subconsciousness, in our awareness or in our dreams.”. We were so very sad to lose Liz this year, long may she be remembered for many things, not least her generosity and incredible creativity and knowledge of fibre art.
Also, in February we collaborated with the locally based kil.n.it Experimental Ceramics Studio to produce TILED an extraordinary and very popular exhibition of ceramics with the 17 member artists.
In March we produced The Art of Making with Studio Woodworkers Australia and 22 designers making work in wood, with incredible skill and honouring this most ancient natural material. A collaborative exhibition Light From Nature with the Korean Cultural Centre and the Coreana Cosmetics Museum was a fantastic cross-cultural collaboration with artist and designer Lucy Simpson and glass artist Kim Dong Wan.
May was the month when we celebrated with gusto the long and distinguished history of ADC while looking to the future for craft and design. Treasures was the exhibition focus. A brilliant project that brought ten of the finest craft artists honoured over 20 years in the Living Treasures: Master of Australian Craft series of national touring exhibitions together for the first time. Each of these artists each nominated an emerging/mid-career artist who they feel is doing exceptional work. A ‘passing of the baton’ to a bright future for craft. Also looking to the future and focussed on our work in environmental art, craft, and design, we presented Margarita Sampson’s in A New Earth.
We turned our focus in June to the amazing work coming out of Aboriginal Art Centres across the country in Vessels: Transcending Tradition curated by First Nations Program Coordinator Miah Madden and in collaboration with our friends at the National Indigenous Art Fair. LACED was an eye-opening exhibition with three NSW artists astounding us with what is possible in a contemporary context with this traditional artform.
We were deeply honoured to present work by Gail Mabo, Lisa Waup and Dominic White in Current produced by McClelland in August and September.
The Sydney Craft Week Festival was huge across the city and beyond in October and here at ADC we presented the FUSE Glass Prize in collaboration with our friends at JamFactory, Remade-Reloved curated by Bridget Kennedy and NSW regionally-based artist Zoe Brand’s Out of Date.
Throughout the year in our 24/7 Object Space window gallery on busy William Street we presented eight exhibitions including three exhibitions of work by artists from regional NSW in partnership with Regional Arts NSW, an excellent project that will continue in 2025.
Object Shop continues to support close to 150, new and continuing artists, in sales and marketing of their work.
Across the country ADC On Tour exhibitions continued to be so well received by audiences in Adelaide, Geelong, Ararat, Hobart, Launceston, Tamworth, Blue Mountains and, with a return to Sydney, at Hazlehurst Art Centre this summer. Many thanks to the tour venue partners who take such care to present these exhibitions to local audiences.
To close the year, and continuing into 2025, is re/JOY the next ADC On Tour national touring exhibition with Vipoo Srivilasa and Crafted Liberation. Both wonderful projects dealing with issues of migration, cultural difference, and empowering women. We think this is an excellent note to finish what has been an incredible year.
Thank you to all the artists, we are honoured to exhibit your work and to all the designers, writers, installers, curators who have helped us make all this magic happen.
Thank you to our partners Create NSW, The City of Sydney, Visions of Australia, the Gordon Darling Foundation, Creative Australia and to all the wonderful people who made donations to our annual campaign, particularly to the late Jane Burns AM who gave ADC a bequest from her estate. We were also very sad to lose Jane this year. She made an immense contribution as champion of craft over many decades.
Finally, a big thanks to the ADC volunteer Board and the talented ADC team who have worked so hard to make this 60th birthday year so special.
Lisa Cahill
CEO and Artistic Director