Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Vicki Halper, Australian craft impressions



















 
Vicki Halper, Australian craft impressions, review article 
‘It’s easy for Americans to identify with Australia,’ I said to Kevin Murray, a writer about Australian craft , at dinner one night. ‘The colonial past, language, youth of the country, pioneer spirit.’ I was thinking of places I briefly saw in the Great Dividing Range that reminded me of Montana towns. Kevin wasn’t nodding in agreement.  After a month in Australia, I still know only a bit, and much of that likely incorrect. Bear with me then as I give my impressions of the Australian craft scene that I encountered.

I came as a visiting curator, guest of Craft Australia, in April 2011. During that time I stayed in Sydney, Canberra, Adelaide, and Melbourne; spoke directly with scores of people including artists, historians, curators, administrators, collectors, and students; and saw work in galleries, museums, and studios. Because of the compressed timeframe and intense schedule, I left with the lovely but surely misguided sense that craft is the center of all Australian life. (Thank you!) Read More

Image Vicki Halper and Nina Cuvea at Metalab Gallery Sydney

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