Australian Design Centre announces the program for the Sydney Craft Week Festival 2022 which runs from Friday 7 – Sunday 16 October.

The festival program includes 180+ events: 80+ workshops and 38+ exhibitions across 45 suburbs.

Sydney Craft Week is the first and only festival in Sydney dedicated to making by hand. 

The sixth annual Sydney Craft Week Festival focusses on the climate and sustainable making, enabling audiences to experience how leading Sydney and Australian makers are innovating and creating in these challenging times.

Program highlights include: reclaimed material workshops; a speaker series on the future of textiles; First Nations exhibitions and workshops; leading glass and ceramics exhibitions; studio tours; and markets.

Sydney Craft Week Festival Director Lisa Cahill said:

“This year’s festival focus is the climate emergency. The climate emergency has been deeply felt across Greater Sydney and NSW again this year with incessant rain, and the resulting flooding and erosion, scarring the landscape and causing devastating loss of life, homes and livelihoods.

The 2022 Sydney Craft Week Festival is focussed on this emergency and how through sustainable making we can make a difference. The creative community feels this impact and is focussing their minds on how we, as humans, can do our utmost to protect the increasingly fragile environment.”

About Sydney Craft Week

Sydney Craft Week Festival celebrates the Sydney craft community, from professional artists to occasional makers, from those who love to make to those who want to learn or purchase a handmade work to take home. Sydney Craft Week is produced by the team at the Australian Design Centre.

Where

In 2022 the Sydney Craft Week Festival is being held in galleries, shops, studios and other spaces all over Greater Sydney and beyond:

Annandale, Arncliffe, Ashfield, Balmain, Cammeray, Camperdown, Casula, Chatswood, Chippendale, Concord, Cremorne, Cronulla, Darlinghurst, Eastwood, Forest Lodge, Freshwater, Griffith, Gymea, Leichhardt, Macquarie Park, Manly, Marrickville, Mittagong, Mona Vale, Mortlake, Mulgoa, Neutral Bay, Newtown, North Curl Curl, North Sydney, Nowra, Paddington, Petersham, Potts Point, Redfern, St Leonards, Surry Hills, Sydney, Ultimo, Waterloo, Willoughby, Windsor, Wollongong, Wyong, Zetland.

FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHTS

Reflecting the climate emergency theme, many events are focussed on reuse, repair and how creative makers are addressing these challenges.

Join a series of REpair and REwear workshops by Reverse Garbage or participate in a Festival of Upcycling at MakerSpace & Co. The Social Outfit are running a series talks and workshopped called Textiles for Good; or join a sustainable design workshops using reclaimed timber with Among the Trees.

Exhibitions

This year’s program includes over 38 exhibitions and installations with highlights including exhibitions responding to bush fires, COVID and other disasters of our time including solo exhibitions Dancing Through Disaster by Jane Theau at Barometer Gallery and This was Then: This is now by Jane Bodnaruk at White Rhino Artspace.

See leading glass and fibre art in the FUSE Glass Prize 2022 and Seed Stitch Contemporary Textile Award 2022 at Australian Design Centre, Day By Day: Korean Ceramics in Daily Life at Korean Cultural Centre Australia focusing on practical and functional value of Korean ceramics in everyday life.

Everyday Deity at Chrissie Cotter Gallery in Camperdown with artists Soraya Abidin, Clayton Barr, Gillian Bencke, Marianne Bohdan, Morgan Dick, Sai-Wai Foo, Tina Fox and Christina Newberry, delve into the inner and outer realms of regenerative crafts; Umbarra (Black Duck) Takes Flight! at Boomalli Aboriginal Artists Co-operative in Leichhardt – a joint exhibition featuring artists from Yuin/Ngarigo language groups and Boomalli artist members.

On display 24/7 are window gallery exhibitions: Hope a collaboration between ADC and GOST Canberra and Windowsmiths In-Soul/ Sole: Climate Emergency Demands an Artist’s Go-Slow exhibition on display at both at Potts Point and Balmain window galleries.

Workshops

Choose from over 80 workshops during Sydney Craft Week covering a huge range of different disciplines and creative ideas from learning how to make a hooked rug; or temperature blanket; make your own glasses frames; tote bags; community jewellery making or magical Lumifold lamps to name just a few. Get inspired outside as Outer Island lead a bush journaling workshop at Centennial Park.

Family Friendly events and kids workshops

A number of family friendly events are part of this year’s program including kids and adults jewellery workshop at SquarePeg Studios and the Festival of Flowers at Eden Gardens.

Markets

Check out one or all of our makers markets:  Makers Frontyard Trail (various Inner West Front yards) on Saturday 8 October; Made by Hand: Art and Design Market at Hazelhurst Arts Centre on Sunday 13 October and ADC’s own Makers Market in Darlinghurst on Saturday 15 October.

Free Workshops

Meet Inner West textiles artists in their studios on a free Textiles Studio Tour from Inner West Council or see over 140 works by leading Australian ceramicists at Manly Art Gallery & Museum’s Clay Collection. 

Beyond Sydney 

Explore a little future a field for The National Contemporary Jewellery Award at Griffith Regional Art Gallery. Learn the basic techniques of dyeing and marbling leather at Wollongong Art Gallery or visit Bakers and Builders, an exploration into traditional crafts presented by the Central Coast Council. Visit Australia’s oldest design centres in the Southern Highlands, Sturt  presenting Coalesce.

An initiative of the Australian Design Centre, Sydney Craft Week is supported by Government Partner City of Sydney with a festivals and events sponsorship grant.

Who: Australian Design Centre

What: Sydney Craft Week

Where: Sydney-wide

When: Friday 7 – Sunday 16 October

To find out more CLICK HERE