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
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
