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Sector news

News from the craft and design sector

Craft South funding cut by the Australia Council  
12 January 2011 - 1 June 2012     Adelaide
Craft South part of the ACDC (Australian Craft and Design Centres) network has only been offered funding to the end of 2012 by the Australia Council in it's recent key organisation funding announcement. Craft South had previously been offered triennial funding which has been reduced to a one year allocation of $55, 670. Craft South was established in 1966 and has over the past 45 years provided opportunities, collaborations with creative institutions, businesses and the broader community to promote the craft and design community of South Australia. South Australia has been hit quite badly in the recent cuts with ANAT and the Australian Experimental Art Foundation' triennial funds also reduced to a one year allocation.

Australian Network for Art and Technology faces funding cuts  
1 December 2011 - 1 June 2012     Adelaide
The Australian Network for Art and Technology, which has played a vital role in supporting Australian artists working with emerging technologies for 23 years, has been informed by the Visual Arts Board of the Australia Council that their funding will only be renewed for one year. Arts South Australia have also announced they will cease ANAT 's organisational funding beyond 2012. These funding cuts to ANAT will further impact on available support and funding and grants through ANAT. In light of these funding cuts to organisations the Australia Council has announced a four year National Media Arts Strategic Initiative of $340,000 to run for a period of four years only. This is a significant reduction to funds allocated to Media Arts. dLux Media Arts in NSW was also defunded in the recent allocations of key organisation funding.

Australia Council exempted from increase in efficiency dividend  
29 November 2011 - 1 June 2012     National
The Australia Council has been exempted from the boosted efficiency dividend increased from 1.25% to 2.5 %. The 1.25% efficiency dividend has already been applied to administration, grants and programs and the result of these cuts are being felt across the sector. Other cultural institutions exempted from the additional cuts include the National Gallery of Australia, National Museum of Australia and National Library of Australia.

Julie Lomax appointed as new Director, Visual Arts  
3 October 2011 - 30 June 2012     Sydney
The Australia Council for the Arts today announced the appointment of Julie Lomax as its new Director, Visual Arts. Currently the Director of Visual Arts, London Region, for the Arts Council England, Julie will commence in her new role in February 2012. As Director, Visual Arts, Julie will be responsible for providing leadership to the Australia Council's Visual Arts section and will be the senior advisor to its Visual Arts Board, implementing its decisions and providing key links between the Australia Council and the Visual Arts sector. The current Director Kon Gouriotis OAM who has been in the role for the past three years, during which time he led the Visual Arts Board's evaluation of the Visual Arts and Craft Strategy program and a review of its multi-year funded Key Organisations. Kon leaves the Australia Council at the end of November 2011 to take up the position of Director of the Australian Centre of Photography (ACP).

Australian wins James Dyson Award  
11 November 2011 - 30 June 2012     International
Australian designer Ed Linacre wins the 2011 international James Dyson Award with an irrigation system that harvests moisture from the air. In Airdrop, solar panels power air turbines that draw hot air down into underground cooling towers.

Australasian Craft Network Established  
1 - 30 December 2012     International
The Australasian Craft Network (ACN) has been established as a bridge with the World Craft Council. The World Craft Council (http://www.worldcraftscouncil.org/) is the umbrella organisation of five regional associations (Africa, Asia Pacific, Europe, Latin America and North America), within which are various sub-regions. Historically, Australia and New Zealand have been in the South Pacific sub-region of the Asia Pacific (http://www.wccapr.org) region. The WCC General Assembly meets every four years. Regional groups meet annually. The ACN coordinators are Dr Kevin Murray, vice-president, World Craft Council Asia Pacific Region and Lindy Joubert (http://www.abp.unimelb.edu.au/unesco/personnel.html) Director of the inaugural UNESCO Observatory Multi-Disciplinary Research in the Arts. To be part of this network and receive emails of World Craft Council activities, including upcoming workshops and forums and contribute to shaping events in the Australasian region that connect with the international craft world. You can submit your details online (http://eepurl.com/hmgho)

Craft Australia has been defunded  
30 October 2011 - 1 June 2017     National
On Thursday, 12 October, Craft Australia was officially notified that it has been 'defunded': it will receive no more triennial funding from the Australia Council for the Arts beyond the end of 2011. While Craft Australia and the broad constituencies it represents and supports would dispute this decision, the result effectively means the organisation has no funds to operate beyond 31 December 2011. This decision comes at a point when the sector is poised to make some significant developments in relation to craft, design, innovation and the creative industries, and in which Craft Australia has played and would have continued to play a significant role. More information about how you can help Craft Australia visit the Craft Australia website and Blog.