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Welcome messages– Director’s message– Chair’s message– Vision - Mission - Values

Who we are– Board and committees– ADC staff

Who we work with– Creative collaborators– Australian Design Honours

Year in review – 2016– 2016 Exhibitions– ADC On Tour– Object Shop– Digital programs– Events and learning– Award winners– Research and development– Facts and figures 2016

What we’re working on – 2017– Creative program review 2017

Our supporters– Partners and donors

Welcome to the Australian

Design Centre

Director’smessage– Lisa Cahill

In 2015, we celebrated 50 years of nurturing and supporting contemporary craft and design.

2016 was the year for consolidating in our new home in William Street and planning our next phase. In February, at the end of a three year national tour, we brought back some highlights from CUSP: Designing into the Next Decade, an exhibition that demonstrated the power of design to address perplexing future scenarios. We followed this with an equally future focused exhibition Shapeshifters: 3D Printing the Future at the beginning of its national tour.

April saw former director Steve Pozel leave us to embark on his new chapter. I want to pay tribute to Steve’s leadership over 16 years and his legacy. It is a privilege for me to carry his legacy forward and build on it into the future.

The news of reductions in government funding was difficult and disappointing for us as it was for many other small to medium organisations. After years of investment in ADC and sustained support for craft and design, the ramifications of these decisions are yet to be fully realised. We had to make some big changes for ADC to

continue to thrive in the face of a shrinking pool of support. Many people gave generously of their time and their experience to talk with me about possible future directions for ADC. This feedback gave us the impetus to take stock and pivot our programming.

In July we presented Clay Intersections, a beautiful exhibition that enabled us to connect with the clay community and create experiences for our audiences to get their hands muddy and make stuff. We also held our first outdoor makers market which was a great success activating an otherwise unused pocket of inner city Darlo.

Our work provides opportunities

for makers and designers to further

their careers and contribute to an

Australia made better by their innovative,

thoughtful, beautiful and heartfelt work.

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We were very proud to present Indigenous Design in September, a project that had seen my team work closely with two young emerging designers towards a beautiful and meaningful outcome. Similarly, our partnership with UNSW Art & Design saw the inaugural graduate presentation of Designing Bright Futures that resulted in two graduates selected for 2017 Milan Design Week.

Our commitment over decades to tour excellent contemporary craft and design exhibitions to regional Australia was acknowledged with a $100,000 Australia Council project grant for ADC On Tour. We were also successful in receiving Visions Australia funding of $137,000 for a new touring exhibition from 2017, Object Therapy.

Behind the scenes our small team has worked very hard to get the best results and forge new partnerships and collaborations that will help us to continue to produce great work. I thank

them for a magnificent effort.

The Board, led by Diana D’Ambra, has shown an extraordinary level of commitment and belief in ADC and I thank current and former board members for their volunteer time and valuable input.

2016, while not without its difficulties, has seen ADC emerge as a vibrant, agile organisation committed to engaging audiences with the very best craft and design. Our work provides opportunities for makers and designers to further their careers and contribute to an Australia made better by their innovative, thoughtful, beautiful and heartfelt work. My thanks to them all. We look forward to collaborating and making great things happen in 2017 and beyond.

It’s my pleasure to present this report of our annual activities for 2016 including a preview of what we have planned for 2017.

Chair’smessage– Diana D’Ambra

As one of Australia’s leading organisations for contemporary craft and design, Australian Design Centre has continued to provide opportunities for artists to showcase their work and reach broad audiences across the country.

The ADC team, under the strong leadership of Director Lisa Cahill, and our creative collaborators have delivered an outstanding program that offers insights into the innovative potential of contemporary craft and design.

On behalf of the ADC Board, I am pleased to report another year of sustained achievement. Funding reductions at the Federal and State level have been severe but restructuring our operations early in the year has enabled ADC to produce an excellent program from a lower funding base.

The Board and staff thank our creative collaborators, partners, donors, volunteers and audiences for making 2016 a great year for contemporary craft and design.

We believe making and design is core to human endeavor.

We are a leading craft and design centre that connects audiences to creative practice through showcasing excellence and innovation.

Our exhibition program supports and provides opportunities for Australian practitioners.

We showcase the best craft and design across the country and share it with the rest of the world.

We tour our exhibitions through regional Australia reaching and engaging broad new audiences.

Importantly, in our work we involve young Australians. We use the tools and methodologies found in design practice today to develop their creative skills through our programs.

Vision – Mission – Values

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Who we are

Board and committeesBoard of Directors 2016 Diana D’Ambra (Chair), Jenny Green, Andrew Simpson, Oliver Smith, Rowena Westphalen

Former Directors 2016Lisa Bora, Sacha Coles, Barry McWilliams, Kingsley Mundey, Jordan Nguyen

The Observership ProgramADC is participating in The Observership Program where participants complete a year long program and observe a not-for-profit Board.

Shannon Davis (2016), Dereck Armstrong (2017)

ADC Advisory Group While the ADC Advisory Group has not formally met in 2016, many of these people have continued to support the ADC throughout the year. We thank them and the many other people who have given their time and expertise to help ADC through a difficult transitional year.

Mark Armstrong, Caroline Baum, Jill Bennet, Suzanne Boccalatte, Chris Bosse, Cesar Cueva, Heidi Dokulil, Andy Dong, Kathy Elliot, Merran Esson, Theresa Famularo, Kiersten Fishburn, Stefanie Flaubert, Vince Frost, Ross Gibson, Brandon Gien, Stephen Goddard, Hank Haeusler, Janson Hews, Frank Howarth, Joanne Jakovich, Jane Jose, Ceinwen Kirk-Lennox, Margaret Kirkwood, Russel Koskela,

ADC staffDirector Lisa Cahill

Strategy, Partnerships and CommunicationsJo Higgins – Creative Strategy Manager Alix Fiveash – Partnerships and Communications Manager

Creative Programs Rhadi Bryant – Programs ManagerLarna Burgess Munro – Program ProducerLisa O’Hara – Program Coordinator Hana Hoogedeure – Program Assistant Ida Lawrence – Gallery Assistant

Finance and OperationsMeghan Hay – Financial Controller and Company SecretaryDianna Reed – Administration and Events CoordinatorEmma Thompson – Accounts Officer

Install CrewSandra Brown, Justin Henderson, Danae Natsis, Luke O’Donnell, Robert Pulie, Sean Van Doorum, Cameron Skelton Walter

Paul McGillick, Stephen Ormandy, Dean Ormston, Caroline Pidcock, Gerard Reinmuth, Mike Rigby, Emma Robertson, David Rohr, Raymond Scott, Jess Scully, Bridget Smyth, Lauren Tan, Maureen Thurston, Sasha Titchkosky, Lawrence Wallen, Liz Williamson, Terri Winter, Brian Zulaikha

ADC On Tour Advisory GroupDeborah Abrahams , Andrew Glassop, Kingsley Mundey, Brian Parkes

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InternsJohanna Aneman, Carmen Famularo, Benjamin Gleizman, Brittany Griffiths, Tharike Perera, Chanel Roistacher

Former ADC Staff in 2016Steven Pozel – Director Claire McCaughan – Head of ProgramsAnnalyse McLeod – Head of Community and EngagementSandra Brown – Touring CoordinatorRose Downie – Learning CoordinatorSu-Wen Leong – Gallery and Events CoordinatorAlex Porter-Hepworth– Development & Stakeholder Engagement CoordinatorCarrie Mulford – Executive Assistant and Special Projects CoordinatorShauna Maguire – Digital Media and Marketing CoordinatorPatricia Laksmono – Administration and Events CoordinatorGeorgia Windrum – Program Producer

Who wework with

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Creative collaborators2016 – 2017We have the privilege of working with so many talented creatives. Whether they be makers, designers, architects, visual artists, art workers or performers crossing the divide, each and every one of them contribute to our diverse creative program offering.

4A Centre for Contemporary Asian ArtAbove the CanopyACDC NetworkAdam CornishAdam GoodrumADC’s Touring Venue PartnersAgatha PupaherAlessandro Di SarnoAlex GilmourAlexander Tanazeftialexis eclectic Alison FraserAlison JacksonAmy TamblynAndrea BandoniAndrew SimpsonAnnabel StevensAnnette MauerAnnie Gobel

Ben McCarthyBenja HarneyBic TieuBlake GriffithsBrett StoneBridget BodenhamBridget Kennedy

Cath FogartyCharles WilsonCharlotte HaywoodChat-Kuen YeungCherie Peyton Chili Philly

Chris HardyChristopher BootsClaire McCaughanClay CanoeCone 11 Corr Blimey Cynden Adams

Daggy DesignsDale HardimanDaniel Emma Deb TaylorDoodad + Fandango Dowel JonesDr David AcklandDylan Martorell

Eggpicnic Elaine SaundersElbowrkshp Elise CakebreadElizabeth RedmanEloise RankineEmil and Nomel Emily BesserEmily CoppEmily McCulloch Childs Emily McDanielEmily WalderEmma ElizabethEmma YoungErin Keys

Fernella KerneboneFloyd MuellerFortynine Studio

Franchesca CubilloFrançoise DupréFukutoshi

Gary GalegoGodfried DonkorGreg MoreGuy Keulemans

Halie RubenisHarriet WattsHaus of DizzyHayden YoulleyHelen EarlHenry Ellis-PaulHenry WilsonHerbert and FriendsHillary JonesHolly MacdonaldHotel Hotel

Inside J.oBInterbrand

Jakeb LoveJasper PowrieJeff McCannJenny NewmanJess ScullyJessica TicchioJilda AndrewsJinlong SongJon GoulderJoni TaylorJulie PattersonJulie Ryder

Karen ErdosKarmme Kate BanaziKate StokesKatherine MahoneyKelaoke Kenji UranishiKirsten FredericksKyoko Hashimoto

Leah HeissLiam MugavinLily HamblingLinda BlairLittle White Dish Lola GreenoLorris WilliamsLorris Williams SnrLouis PrattLouise MstudioLouise Taper Lousje SkalaLucy SimpsonLukasz Karluk Lyn and Tony

Makerspace & CoMama CreativesMarc HarrisonMatt Conway Melanie IhnenMelinda YoungMelissa Knothe Tate Melissa SilkMichael AskewMichael EdenMilly DentmodernmurriModfabMonique van NieuwlandMr Somebody & Mr Nobody

Nadya van EwykNaomi TaplinNardi SimpsonNatalie DuncanNatalie RosinNicole MonksNicole RobinsNikita MargaritaNiklavs RubenisNila Rezaei

Ode

Pamela JohnsonPenny CraswellPete HongPeter McCarthyPublic Holiday

Rachel Drake Rebecca ListonRed Ruby ScarlettRichard Whiteley Rohan NicolRoss GardamRyan McGoldrickRyan Pennings

Sally Cooper Samantha RobinsonSandra KingSassy ParkScott DuncanScott MitchellSean Jackson Slip CeramicsSMaRT@UNSWSophia EmmettStephen GoddardStephen MushinStudio Enti

Super Critical MassSusannah BourkeSydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi GrasSydney Glam + Alliance

Tania RollandTara BurkeTerri WinterThought Collider Timna TaylorTom FeredayTom SkeehanToril JohannessenTrade the MarkTrent Jansen

Uber KateUlrica TrulssonUNSW Art & Design

Vanessa Ion

Wild Fibres Women in the Arts

Xavier ModouxXYZ Workshop

Yasmina BlackYutaka Ohtaki

Zoë MacDonell Zuku Jewellery

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Australian Design HonoursAustralian Design Honours was created by ADC in 2015 to commemorate our 50th anniversary. It is intended as a living and growing resource to acknowledge leaders in craft and design. To date, 100 Australians have been recognised with another cohort to be announced in 2017.

We were saddened by the passing of three design luminaries in 2016 – Klaus Moje AO, Paul Pholeros AM and Robert Foster.

Adam GoodrumAddison MarshallAkira IsogawaAlexander LotersztainAlison PageAndrew SimpsonBen MoirBenja HarneyDr Brandon GienBrian ParkesBrian ZulaikhaBrit AndresenCatherine Livingstone AOCesar & Nina CuevaChris BosseCinnamon LeeClover MooreDamien WrightEva Dijkstra & Michael LugnayrEwan McEoinFenella KerneboneProf Fiona FoleyFlorian MuellerDr Gene Sherman AMDr George KhutGlenn Murcutt AOGreg MoreHenry WilsonHetti PerkinsJane IrwinJanet LaurenceJanne RyanJeff Mincham AMJenni Kemarre MartinielloJess ScullyJessica Loughlin

John O’CallaghanJon GoulderJonathan JonesJulia deVilleJulie BlyfieldJulie PatersonKate RhodesKathy Elliot & Benjamin EdolsKelli ColeKerstin ThompsonKhai LiewKlaus Moje AO (1936 – 2016)Prof Lawrence Wallen Leah Heiss Les Blakebrough AMLiane Rossler Profs Lindsay & Kerry ClareLiz WilliamsonLola GreenoLouise Olsen & Stephen OrmandyLorraine Connelly-NortheyDr Louise HambyLucy FeaginsLucy SimpsonLukasz KarlukLyn Balzer & Tony PerkinsLynda DorringtonMargot OsborneDr Mari VelonakiMarian HoskingMargaret KirkwoodMel DouglasMelinda YoungMichael AlvisseMichael Bryce AM AENick Mount

Nicole ForeshewPamela Easton & Lydia PearsonPaul Pholeros AM (1953 – 2016)Patrick HallPeter StutchburyDr Pippa DicksonRachel HealyRachel NeesonProf Richard WhiteleyDr Robert BainesRobert Foster (1962 – 2016)Prof Roy GreenProf Sam BucoloSasha Titchkosky & Russel KoskelaShelley PennSimone LeAmonStefanie Flaubert & Janos KorbanStephen GoddardStephen MushinDr Susan CohnDr Suzi AttiwillTerri WinterTimothy HortonTony AlbertVince FrostYvonne Koolmatrie

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Year in review

–2016

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2016 ExhibitionsIn 2016, ADC began to consolidate our presence in the William Street creative precinct. Six main exhibitions were held with over 108 events during the course of the year. More than 17,000 people came to see the exhibitions, attend a workshop, talk or event or browsed in Object Shop.

Migrations4 January – 27 February 2016

Exploring the notion of textiles as carriers of multiple cultural influences, Migrations traveled around Australia, United States and United Kingdom during 2015 – 2016, accompanied by its publication Cultural Threads: Transnational Textiles Today (Bloomsbury, 2015), edited by exhibition curator, Jessica Hemmings.

Contemporary artists and designers created a collection of global stories in their textiles. Exhibiting at its season at Australian Design Centre were the works of Godfried Donkor, Françoise

Dupré, Toril Johannessen, Pamela Johnson, Julie Ryder and Mr. Somebody & Mr. Nobody.

Norwegian artist, Toril Johannessen, creates printed textiles with optical illusions aesthetically inspired by wax-resist textile patterns, and was one of the works on display at Australian Design Centre.

Migrations was an exciting opportunity to program international works in the centre’s workshop space.

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CUSP: Designing into the Next Decade presented the future through five designers working on the cusp of what is possible.

Featuring highlights from Floyd Mueller, Greg More, Leah Heiss, Stephen Mushin and Super Critical Mass, the designers looked deeply at the human problems we face today by asking questions and devising creative solutions through their design practice.

The exhibition was first presented in 2013 with presenting partners Liverpool City Council and Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre with twelve designers: Chris Bosse, Healthabitat, George Khut, Anupama Kundoo, MaterialByProduct, Alison Page, Mari Velonaki, Leah Heiss, Greg More, Floyd Mueller, Stephen Mushin and Super Critical Mass. It completed its eight-stop national tour at ADC.

CUSP: Designing into the Next Decade2 February – 28 April 2016

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What if 3D printing gave you the ability to design your own life? With clothes being printed from desktop computers and organs being manufactured in labs, this rapidly evolving technology continues to revolutionise design as we know it.

In collaboration with Western Plains Cultural Centre, the Australian Design Centre launched Shapeshifters: 3D Printing the Future as a playful exploration of 3D printing. It’s all about imagination, innovation and new methods of making; drawing on the high-tech and rapidly evolving world of 3D printing and fluid extrusion methodology.

3D printing is also built on sharing. Open source software and shared maker spaces mean anyone can try their hand at creating. During the industrial revolution, the machine was used to standardise everything. Now mass production is replaced by mass customisation.

The designers and makers in the exhibition all began with a real-world idea. That idea is translated into a digital something – a piece of code, a CAD model or perhaps a verse of music – before being transformed into the final physical form. By experimenting with digital fabrication technologies, the designers have built on their traditional modes of making to create something entirely new.

Featuring Louis Pratt, Michael Eden, Lousje Skala, Ryan Pennings, Dr David Ackland, Lukasz Karluk, and XYZ Workshop (Kae Woei Lim & Elena Low).

Shapeshifters is touring Australia until 2018.

Shapeshifters: 3D Printing the Future5 May – 20 July 2016

2019

Clay Intersections, curated by Cath Fogarty, presented the work of eight contemporary makers who take a range of innovative approaches to making and working with clay, exploring the different intersections of its sculptural and functional qualities.

Highlighting the work of Bridget Bodenham, Cone 11’s Colin Hopkins and Ilona Topolcsanyi, Helen Earl, Tania Rollond, Natalie Rosin, Ulrica Trulsson and Kenji Uranishi, the artists in Clay Intersections draw their inspiration from the built or natural environment and how they interact with it – whether in contemplation or in a practical sense – enhancing the way we live.

While some have been discovering the versatility of clay, setting new trends and engaging new audiences, others have set out to learn age-old practices of wheel forming, casting and hand building, spending countless hours developing techniques and mastering skills.

Together, these eight artists are part of a new generation of craftspeople and designer-makers who have emerged alongside new and non-traditional market places outside the gallery and retail environment.

Clay Intersections was presented as part of a vibrant ceramics community in Sydney that crosses paths with studios, educators, galleries and stores beyond the exhibition. Public programs included workshops, master-classes and a one-day curated ceramics market in September, that welcomed more than 5,000 visitors to this creative and thriving making network.

Clay Intersections will tour selected regional galleries in 2018 – 2019.

Clay Intersections28 July – 21 September 2016

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Australian Design Centre was delighted to present an exhibition of work by Nicole Monks and Lucy Simpson, the two recipients of the Arts NSW Indigenous Design Mentorship 2016.

The two designers worked with Australian Design Centre and selected community and industry mentors throughout 2016 to develop work for this exhibition: Nicole Monks: Marlu (Kangaroo) and Lucy Simpson: Dhuwi.

Funded by Arts NSW, the $20,000 Indigenous Design Mentorships were facilitated by Australian Design Centre.

Nicole Monks designed a new furniture collection Marlu (Kangaroo). The collection included Nyinajimanha (Sitting Together), inspired by the campfire as a meeting place for women to weave, cook and pass down stories, and Wabarn Wabarn (Bounce), inspired by the movement of the kangaroo.

Wabarn Wabarn was unveiled in October as part of an industry launch event.

Lucy Simpson presented a mixed media sensory installation: Dhuwi, a translation of spirit / soul / central life / essence, developed and created with her family, Yuwaalaraay/ Gamilaraay community leaders and industry mentors and collaborators. The exhibition was curated by Emily McDaniel.

Indigenous Design29 September – 23 November 2016

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In December, Australian Design Centre was proud to present, in partnership with UNSW Art & Design, the inaugural exhibition Designing Bright Futures.

Designing Bright Futures surveyed 11 of the most outstanding 2016 UNSW Art & Design graduating students across Bachelor and Masters of Design fields including jewellery, textiles, graphics, object, interactive and spatial design. Graduates were chosen for the ways in which their work explored and promoted ideas of innovation and sustainable practice, capacity for social impact, commercial viability and the role of design in advancing well-being.

The Graduate Designers were: Alexander Tanazefti, Blake Griffiths, Cynden Adams, Jessica Ticchio, Jinlong

Song & Chat-Kuen Yeung, Lily Hambling, Michael Askew, Nila Rezaei, Rachel Drake and Rebecca Liston. Showcased work includes; ethically and culturally considered textiles, mental health focused wearables, a therapeutic dementia aid, a repair kit for our material possessions and a climate reactive sculpture.

This annual exhibition is important in celebrating the optimism, ideas and ambitions of the next generation of designers and makers as they move into the professional world. Designing Bright Futures continues ADC’s commitment to education, our ongoing partnership with UNSW and to supporting the work of makers and designers at every stage in their career.

The winner of the ADC UNSW Art & Design Award was shared by Blake Griffith and Jinlong Song & Chat-Kuen Eric Yeung.

Designing Bright Futures1 December 2016 – 25 January 2017

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ADC On TourTouring has been central to our work for 50 years. Since the 1970s, ADC has toured nationally and been at the forefront of providing regional Australia with access to cutting edge work and ideas. Since 2006, more than 50% of our touring venues have been regionally based. Since 2005, we have presented 28 touring exhibitions that have made more than 210 stops at 64 different arts organisations across all states & territories. Collectively and to date, more than 1.2 million people have seen these exhibitions.

Presenting our exhibitions, education and public program events, research and digital content across the country is just one of the many ways we actively nurture innovation in making and the development of new audiences for craft, art and design in Australia.

Our annual program features more than 200 designers and our 2016 touring program presented the work of 22 artists in four exhibitions at 29 venues nationally including:

Resolved: Journeys in Australian Design Featuring the work of: Adam Cornish, Adam Goodrum, Alex Gilmour, Ben McCarthy, Bic Tieu, Chris Hardy, Fukutoshi, Gary Galego, Kate Stokes, Marc Harrison, Matt Conway, and Zoë MacDonell

Murray Art Museum, Albury, NSW | 12 May – 12 June 2016Design Tasmania, Launceston, TAS | 27 June – 28 August 2016Delmar Gallery, Trinity Grammar School, Ashfield, NSW | 11 November – 5 December 2016

Living Treasures Masters of Australian Craft, Lola Greeno Cultural JewelsFeaturing the work of: Lola Greeno

Cowra Gallery, NSW | 12 December – 7 February 2016JamFactory Adelaide, SA | 19 February – 24 April 2016Alcoa Mandurah Art Gallery, WA | 6 May – 25 June 2016Bunbury Regional Galleries, WA | 28 October – 4 December 2016Geraldton Regional Art Gallery, WA | 16 December 2016 – 1 February 2017

Cloth: From Seeds to BloomFeaturing the work of: Julie Patterson

Gosford Regional Gallery, NSW | 6 February – 3 April 2016Glasshouse Port Macquarie, NSW | 13 May – 10 July 2016Tamworth Regional Art Gallery, NSW | 2 September – 16 October 2016

Shapeshifters: 3D Printing the FutureFeaturing the work of: Louis Pratt, Michael Eden, Lousje Skala, Ryan Pennings, Dr David Ackland, Lukasz Karluk, and XYZ Workshop (Kae Woei Lim & Elena Low)

Western Plains Cultural Centre, Dubbo, NSW | 23 January – 17 April 2016Australian Design Centre, NSW | 5 May – 20 July 2016Sturt Gallery, Mittagong, NSW | 31 July – 11 September 2016Devonport Regional Gallery, Devonport, TAS | 30 September – 13 November 2016Design Tasmania, Launceston, TAS | 25 November 2016 – 21 February 2017

Japan

210Stops

303Artists

28Shows

Singapore

Hongkong

Taiwan

United Kingdom

Italy

1/3IndigenousArtists

6International

Venues

1.2mVisitors

64NationalVenues

ADC Touring History

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Object ShopIn September we re-opened our retail space within the Centre, Object Shop.

Dedicating a window space and part of our lower gallery to a curated selection of the work of the best local Sydney makers has enabled us to provide further support to the creative community.

In the first six months of operation, we have supported 38 makers.

Meet the Maker events, an outdoor makers market and a Christmas market were popular activities during the year.

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Digital programsIn April, we launched our new website created by our partners at Interaction Consortium. The website serves as a platform and portal to other digital activities.

During the year we were very active on our social media platforms, developing content, growing audiences for the work that we do and supportingthe work of our colleagues on their channels.

Events and learningWilliam Street was a hive of activity throughout the year. We hosted events for many partners including the School of Life, Mama Creatives, Digitalpress and Tropfest.

Design Emergency, our design thinking program for children, was conducted across the country along with our touring exhibition programs.

Partnering with ModFab, we ran some fantastic workshops on 3D printing for children and adults as part of Shapeshifters: 3D Printing the Future.

Award winnersCongratulations to the following students who were the winners of ADC Awards in 2016.

ADC Career Development Award 2016UNSW Built Environment

Kate Bath

ADC UNSW Art & Design Award 2016Blake Griffiths Jinlong Song and Chat-Kuen Yeung

ADC Graduate Award 2015University of Technology SydneyInterior & Spacial Design, Integrated Product Design, Visual Communication, Architecture

Aaimun Tariq, Alessio Colli, Eren Harding, Hannah Clifton, Tim Busuttil,Tran Dang

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Research and development

ADC HistoryEarly in the year before Steve Pozel departed he took on the task of writing some pivotal short essays on the history of ADC in its various incarnations and locations.

These essays are a collection of stories that explore some of the histories of ADC with spotlights on collaborations and touring, design criticality, global, Indigenous, innovation and technology, emerging and established, which is further accompanied by a chronological timeline of our 50+ year history. The essays can be found on our website at: https://australiandesigncentre.com/about-promo-story/history.

Power of MakingDuring the year with development funding from the Federal Government’s Visions Australia program we began researching a new touring exhibition project. In 2015 former ADC Director Steve Pozel and Lisa Cahill had the beginnings of a big idea to embark on an exhibition project to showcase the awe inspiring innovation and creativity of the maker and at the same time focus on the fundamental human need to make.

Lisa Cahill and Creative Strategy Manager Jo Higgins undertook research and developed this idea through a series of sector workshops. Having reflected on the research, discussions, makers, objects and experiences that we uncovered during our research, ADC is excited to announce that it’s next major touring exhibition will draw on the work, ideas and experiences of 13 of Australia’s most innovative and exciting makers to tell the stories of their expertise, obsessions and creative processes.

OBSESSED! Compelled to Make will feature works including textiles, ceramics, glass, furniture, silver, weaving and object design and these objects will be accompanied by specially commissioned digital content exploring the distinct and deeply personal creative processes of each maker, from the maker’s perspective. The exhibition will also feature a local component at each regional venue, exploring how the themes of the exhibition relate to local makers and audiences.

With confirmed interest from 13 venues across the country for what will be a four-year tour, we submitted a Visions of Australia touring application in March 2017 to produce OBSESSED! Compelled to Make and take it on the road. Stay tuned!

Other ResearchADC’s commitment to long term research into all aspects of contemporary craft and design is ongoing and we are currently delving into subject areas and themes that we have not touched on in past exhibitions to determine what our future program might look like. A re-examination of the Living Treasures Masters of Australian Craft series is on the table along with several ideas for Indigenous projects.

Funding realities drew us to seek more collaborative partners to produce exhibition content with shared overheads and much of the 2017 program is the result of the development of those partnerships.

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Facts and figures 2016

What we’re working on

–2017

Media and Marketing

10,000+ subscribers to monthly e-newsletters

5,900 followers on Facebook

7,415 followers on Twitter

3,429 followers on Instagram

72,000 website visits

Media interest was strong throughout the year particularly in print and digital media. Interaction via social media is increasingly the way we are communicating with audiences and the craft and design communities.

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artists involved in exhibitions and events

17,000 Sydney audience

6 touring exhibitions

67,800

national regional audience

13

regional venues showing touring exhibitions

38artists represented in

Object Shop

21 artists on tour

nationally

98 Sydney exhibitions

and events

2,018 children participated in

education programs

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Creative program preview 2017At ADC, we’re always looking forward to present better experiences for our audiences and support more artists in the process. This section previews our major projects for 2017.

In February, ADC was delighted to present Chili Philly: Crochet Social, the first major solo exhibition of crochet wearable art by Melbourne-based artist Phil Ferguson. Ferguson creates wearable crochet pieces that take the form of ordinary, everyday objects - from tacos to teabags - which are captured as self-portraits and uploaded onto Instagram.

@chiliphilly has been wildly successful, amassing more than 140,000 followers. Combining well-developed craft skills with a gentle, self-deprecating humour, Ferguson’s final self-portraits are a mix of video and photography that capture something of that awkward, lonely human experience. Ferguson is often called ‘The Lonely Boy’ and his use of Instagram was originally a way to make friends and find an audience for his work.

As part of the exhibition, ADC also presented a series of events and public programs inviting audiences to join the crochet craze. These included an adults-only ‘Cocktails and Crochet’

night, kids’ workshops, artist talks, an industry panel discussion on the value of social media and a lively local makers market in Darlinghurst celebrating adornment in the lead up to Mardi Gras.

Chili Philly: Crochet Social presented Ferguson’s work as a social phenomenon that sits at the nexus of art, craft and social media, challenging how we understand and represent our ideas of self today. Ultimately though, Chili Philly: Crochet Social was a celebration of the importance of friends and community.

The exhibition was presented as part of the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Arts Festival with support from the City of Sydney.

Chili Philly: Crochet Social2 February – 29 March 2017

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In collaboration with 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art, ADC presented the first Sydney exhibition of Melbourne and Jakarta-based jeweller Annie Gobel.

Edge In reflects Gobel’s interest in what was the first step of her childhood creative endeavours – a thick, bold outline. Working from the edge in, this line has lifted from the page to become the emboldened black edge of her

wearable sculptures in this new body of work.

We hope this project marks the beginning of an ongoing collboration with 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art.

Object Therapy is an exhibition and project exploring creative transformation and notions of value and repair. Object Therapy was a human research project by Hotel Hotel, developed in partnership with UNSW Art & Design and Australian National University School of Art & Design.

The exhibition presents 29 broken objects that were submitted by members of the public before undergoing ‘therapy’. Items of furniture, ceramics, household appliances, textiles, jewellery, sentimental objects and even one human, were all treated and reimagined by noted Australian and international designers and artists including Trent Jansen, Liam Mugavin,

Henry Wilson, Alison Jackson and Elise Cakebread among others.

In transforming loved but broken items into objects of delight and surprise, Object Therapy showcases innovative design solutions while exploring the attachments we form with objects. It encourages us to rethink our material consumption while exploring and celebrating the role and creative possibilities of repair in society.

ADC is delighted to be the presenting partner for Object Therapy and after the exhibition opens in Sydney, it will undertake a seven-stop national tour in partnership with Hotel Hotel and supported by the Federal Government’s National Touring Program Visions Australia.

Annie Gobel: Edge In2 February – 29 March 2017

Object Therapy6 April – 7 June 2017

Following on from the success at Milan Design Week in 2016, Local Design founder and curator Emma Elizabeth is returning to the prestigious Salone del Mobile in 2017 to present a new showcase of the best of contemporary Australian design to an international audience.

Featuring the work of 11 designers including: ACV Studio, Adam Goodrum,

Charles Wilson, Christopher Boots, Dowel Jones, Emma Elizabeth, Jon Goulder, Kate Banazi + Ryan McGoldrick, Ross Gardam, Tom Fereday and Tom Skeehan.

In collaboration with Local Design, ADC will give audiences the opportunity to experience Local Design, presenting this curated exhibition on its return to Sydney.

Local Design/Milan Design15 June – 9 August 2017

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Charlotte Haywood has a unique, multi-disciplinary approach to her practice that centres on a multi-layered exploration of incongruous tensions between nature and culture, and pop and the primordial.

Working across mediums - including textiles, sculpture, installation and the moving image - Haywood demonstrates an acute sensibility for connections between the traditional and the modern, exploring cross-cultural pollination. Her work has most recently begun to examine various forms of communication across cultures;

landscape, technology, architecture, symbol, song and gestures of the body.

Her work GREEN ASYLUM is an architectural textile video installation that looks at body gesture as language within Australia’s diverse cultural and inherent landscape. Haywood pushes the boundaries of the ancient technology of tapestry weaving into architectural forms. This work looks to thread disparate narratives in a common landscape and questions the ‘architectural’ frameworks of institutions, histories, public and sacred places within Australia.

In 2013 UNSW biomedical engineer Professor Melissa Knothe Tate undertook a weaving course in the United States, wanting to learn how to replicate the natural weave of the tissue around human bones. The Jacquard loom used in the class was to become a critical component in Tate’s research into a future generation of smart materials inspired by nature.

Tate’s research has focused on the periosteum, the hyper-elastic protective tissue sleeve found around most of the body’s bones. In mimicking

this sophisticated and complex property of the human body, Tate and her team have been able to develop prototypes for a range of smart fabrics with the potential to transform the medical, safety and transport sectors.

Showcasing her work and research at ADC, Bioweaving explores the technology, science and engineering involved in the process to demonstrate the possibilities when disruptive technology meets design aesthetic and form-function optimisation.

Green Asylum17 August – 11 October 2017

Bioweaving19 October – 15 November 2017

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Designing Bright Futures returns for its second iteration, continuing ADC’s commitment to education, our ongoing partnership with UNSW Art & Design and to supporting the work of makers and designers at this early stage of their careers.

Up to 12 graduates from across the Bachelor and Masters of Design courses will be chosen by a guest curator and ADC’s Director.

The ADC Designing Bright Futures Award will also be given to one outstanding designer.

Designing Bright Futures23 November 2017 – 17 January 2018

An evolving nation-wide curated project, The Indigenous Jewellery Project focuses on Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander contemporary jewellery and small object making from workshops undertaken on Country at Indigenous owned art centres. Mediums include resin, silver and other metals as well as traditional natural materials.

Part art project, part social enterprise, the aim of the Indigenous Jewellery Project is to strengthen and continue existing traditions and facilitate artists to develop a career as exhibiting contemporary artist jewellers through upskilling, involving developing practice and the use of professional jewellery materials.

Curated by McCulloch & McCulloch co-director Emily McCulloch Childs, The Indigenous Jewellery Project connects

contemporary jewellery galleries and jewelers, including Kate Rohde and Melinda Young with Indigenous art centres across Australia. It is focused on developing and maintaining Aboriginal jewellery and small object tradition and practice, reinforcing the connection to traditional lands and the natural world while developing a sophisticated contemporary art craft practice, in which works are created that both sit on the body and outside it.

This presentation includes works and video documentation from the latest workshops, held at art centre Buku-Larrnggay Mulka at Yirrkala, in North-East Arnhem Land. Bulayi means treasure, or gold, in local Yolngu language.

ADC is delighted to be presenting this project in 2017.

Indigenous Jewellery Project: Bulayi19 October – 15 November 2017

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Oursupporters

Partners and donorsWe are grateful to all our partners for their generous support of Australian innovation and creativity. Whether it’s government support, or the continued patronage of our valued donors, gifts of all sizes help us to continue to deliver a diverse program that connects audiences to creative practice through showcasing the best contemporary craft and design while providing opportunities to Australian makers.

Australian Design Centre acknowledges the support and contribution of the State Government through Create NSW, City of Sydney and the Australian government through the Australia Council for the Arts and the Visions of Australia: Regional Exhibition Touring Program.

Government partners

Trusts and foundations

Partners

Principal partner

Create NSW City of Sydney Visions of AustraliaAustralia Council for the Arts

Ian Potter FoundationGordon Darling Foundation

Art MonthAuthentic Design AllianceBuiltChippendale Creative PrecinctDestination ChippendaleDigitalpressFrank HowarthGreencliffInteraction ConsortiumKaren Woodbury GalleryKensington St.Liane McGrathModFab 3D PrintingPozibleSignwaveSydney DesignThe School of LifeUNSW Art&Design UNSW Built EnvironmentUniversity of Technology SydneyVIVID SydneyWestern Plains Cultural CentreWorkshopped

Interbrand

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Beverage partners

Individualdonors

Corporate donors

International Art Services Pty LtdSignwave NewtownThe Rug Collection Australia

United Cellars4 Pines Brewing Company

Abigail Thomas Alan RoseAlix FiveashDr Andrew Barron & Steve PozelBridget LeeceCarmel SullivanCarol HardwickCone 11 – Colin Hopkins & Ilona TopolcsanyiCrispin RiceDouglas HayGuy KeulemansLeslie & Golda GreenLouise IngramMaisy StapletonMeghan HayMerryn SpencerNicolie EatonSharlene ChinSacha ColesTim Collins

Thankyou

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Object Shop

Object Shop street view, 2016. Photo: Boaz Nothamn Clay Maker Market, street view, 2016. Photo: Vincent Buret

Digital Programs/LearningShapeshifters: 3D Printing the Future, School Holiday workshops with Modfab, 2016. Photo: Vincent Buret

Award WinnersDesigning Bright Futures, Jinlong Song and Chat-Kuen Eric Yeung, 2016. Photo: Vincent Buret

Research and developmentClay Intersections, Cone 11 studio (detail), 2015. Photo: Erika Hilder

Creative program preview 2017Chili Philly, Hamburger Head, 2014. Photo: Boaz Nothman Susannah’s Fan, 2016. Repaired by Susannah Bourke. Photo by Lee Grant. Image copyright Hotel Hotel. Local Milan, Group Shot Day Light, 2016. Photo: Fiona Susanto Portrait of Charlotte Haywood. Photo: Courtesy of the artistObject Therapy opening night, 2017. Photo: Boaz Nothman

Our supportersIndigenous Design, Jarjum School visit, 2016. Rug donated by The Rug Collection, Australia. Photo: Rhadi Bryant.

ADC photographers 2016

Vincent Buret Simon Cardwell Boaz Nothman

ADC Annual Report 2016Designed by Karen Kung

Images and creditsFront CoverLucy Simpson, Necklace for a Boy, 2016. Photo: Boaz Nothman

Welcome messagesShapeshifters: 3D Printing the Future, School Holiday workshops with Modfab, 2016. Photo: Vincent BureWho we are

External ADC William St, 2016. Photo Boaz Nothman

Australian Design HonoursKlaus Moje, Puget Sound, 2011, Photo: Contact Photography Robert Foster, Ossalites. Photo: Courtesy of the artist Paul Pholeros, Nine Healthy Living Practices. Photo: Courtesy of the artist

Year In review – 2016Nicole Monks, Yarning and yarning with nyinajimanha (Sitting Together), 2016. Photo: Boaz Nothman.

MigrationsJessica Hemmings, Migrations (details), 2016. Photos: Susan Blackburn

CUSP: Designing into the Next Decade Stephen Mushin, Aquaponics Ecology Project, (detail), 2013. Photo: Boaz Nothman Floyd Mueller, Hanging off a bar, 2010. Photo: Boaz Nothman CUSP opening night guests and designers – Rowena Westphalen, Julian Day, Hon. Anthony Roberts MP, Leah Heiss, Greg More, 2016. Photo: Boaz Nothman

Shapeshifters: 3D Printing the FutureRyan Pennings, Percy Stools, 2015. Photo: Boaz Nothman Lousje Skala , Calgary Necklace, 2015. Photo: Boaz Nothman Lukasz Karluk, HoloDecks, 2014. Photo: Boaz Nothman XYZ Workshop, inBloom, 2014. Photo: Boaz Nothman

Clay IntersectionsClay Intersections opening night, 2016. Photo: Vincent Buret Helen Earl, Casuarina Collection, 2015. Photo: Vincent Buret Ulrica Trulsson, Fluctuation, 2016. Photo: Vincent Buret

Indigenous DesignNicole Monks, nyinajimanha (Sitting Together), 2016. Photo Boaz Nothman Nicole Monks, waburn-waburn (Bounce), 2016 featuring Nicole Monks and Terri Winter. Photo Boaz Nothman Lucy Simpson, Yilaalu Cont, 2016. Photo: Boaz Nothman Lucy Simpson, Mubirr, 2016. Photo: Boaz Nothman

Designing Bright FuturesBlake Griffiths, Carry On Carrying On, 2016. Photo: Vincent Buret Michael Askew, Open for Business, 2016. Photo: Alix Fiveash Nila Rezaei, Dispersion, 2016. Photo: Vincent Buret

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Notes

ArtistExhibitionsTo

uring Retail

Workshops

Events

Media LearningResearch

Audience Experience

DesignMakersCreative

Craft Digital

Collaboration

Content

Indigenous