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Craft and Design for the 2020 Cultural Policy
In the November 2009 issue of 716 craft design Catrina Vignando looks at the role of contemporary craft and design in the framework of an arts and cultural policy for 2020.
I recently attended the National Press Club Address presented by the Arts Minister, Peter Garrett. He was encouraging the audience of arts and cultural representatives attending the event to submit ideas for the 2020 arts and cultural policy currently in development by the Government.
The address was presented as part of the Humanities on the Hill program delivered annually by the Council for Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, CHASS. A transcript of the Minister's speech is available at the department web site.
What is interesting about this request is that the Minister has specifically asked for arts and culture saying that arts is part of culture but that culture is broader than arts. This view positions the arts in a broader framework of support and appreciation.
"One of the key ideas from that (2020) Summit which the Government agreed to consider further was the need for a broader policy framework, growing out all of the arts, to embrace and include culture." said the Minister.
This got me thinking about the role of contemporary craft and design in the framework of an arts and cultural policy for 2020. Craft and design has long been valued for its artistic merit as well as for its broader cultural application in fields such as fashion, architecture and public art. By way of an immediate example, the articles featured in this month's issue of 716 craft.design online news demonstrate the depth of artistic and cultural achievement in the sector. We interview Jeff Mincham as the 2009 participant in the Living Treasures, Masters of Australian Craft program. We also highlight the work of the late George Ingham, designer maker and founding head of the furniture workshop at the Australian National University. We present a sneak preview of two exciting craft and design exhibitions presented at two of the major collecting institutions in Australia; the National Gallery of Australia with the launch of their new purpose built jewellery and small object gallery as part of the NGA redevelopment; and Bravura 21st Century Australian craft from the collection of the Art Gallery of South Australia. While this is only a small sample of the national picture it none the less attests to the sophistication and maturity in Australian craft and design practice and the contribution this work makes to defining our culture.
To elaborate, this month we feature articles about Jeff Mincham's and George Ingham's solo exhibitions. Jeff Mincham is an internationally renowned ceramicist based in Adelaide. His solo exhibition will be showing at Object galleries in Sydney as part of a series that began in 2005. The Living Treasures, Masters of Australian Craft series celebrates the achievements of Australia's iconic and influential crafts practitioners and makes prominent the work of Australian artists whose exemplary craft skills have been recognised by their peers. Each year the Living Treasures series features the selected artist through a solo exhibition of new work, a major monograph publication, a public lecture program and a national tour of the exhibition. The series acknowledges the wealth and dynamism they have contributed to the Australian studio craft movement. You can read more about Jeff and his work on the Craft Australia web site.
The solo exhibition of the late George Ingham titled George Ingham Designer Maker presents a life's work of finely designed furniture. The show focuses particularly on the twenty years of his life spent in Australia as the head of the furniture workshop at the School of Art at the Australian National University, formerly known as the Canberra School of Art. As an artist and a teacher his work influenced many generations of furniture designer makers. A monograph of the exhibition is available though this web site. Read the review of the exhibition, A Singular Talent by Dr Rodney Hayward, who also contributed to the monograph.
The stories communicated by craft and design objects, are further explored in the exhibitions at the National Gallery of Australia and the Art Gallery of South Australia. See the article in this issue of 716 for more details about these upcoming exhibitions. Presenting works by a diverse range of artists, the objects in both these shows are an outcome of a significant collecting policy to represent Australian culture through craft and design objects. Through such exhibitions, new audiences become familiar with craft and design. They become aware of the cultural significance of these objects and become aware of the individual artists that are responsible for these objects and the telling of our cultural history.
Craft Australia recognises the significance of the stories presented by artists that have been making craft and design objects over the past 40 years. This period is known as the Australian Studio Craft Movement and comprises work produced from the late 1960s to the present day. As a span of time in Australian cultural history, this period encompasses great change. Works produced during this time are a rich vein of cultural narrative. To acknowledge the layers in practice and diversity in stories of this period Craft Australia is celebrating 40 years of the Australian Studio Craft Movement in 2010. We will be highlighting the cultural contribution made by craft and design artists during this period and presenting their work within a broader cultural framework. Craft Australia holds a significant slide collection of work from this period that is in the process of being digitised. Some of these slides are currently up on the Craft Australia flickr site. Many more slides will follow and in 2010 we plan to feature this work as part of the 40th celebrations of Australian craft and design practice.
How does the past affect the future? Craft Australia will be drawing on the lessons learned to make a submission to Minister Garrett's 2020 arts and cultural policy. In keeping with current social media communication, there is a public response page on the Ministers' website where you can have your say about what is needed in the 2020 arts and cultural policy. I encourage you to go online to the National Cultural Policy website and make your thoughts known regarding the future of Australian art and culture.
Catrina Vignando
General Manager
Craft Australia
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