A MESSAGE FROM OUR CEO | 2025 - what a year!

Image | CEO + Artistic Director Jodie Cunningham and Richard Baz, Director, The Curatoreum | Photography by 5 Foot Photography

As we reach the end of 2025, I want to extend my warmest thanks to our members, artists, partners and supporters, for another incredible year at Craft + Design Canberra. Each program, exhibition, workshop and gathering this year has been made possible through your enthusiasm, generosity and commitment to the value of craft and design as a vital cultural force.

This year opened with a vibrant season of exhibitions including My unStill Life, The Omega Series and 2025 Emerging Contemporaries. These were followed by With moth and Regenerate: 2024 Artists in Residence Exhibition, which showcased the depth and diversity of contemporary practice in our region. In June and July, Honouring Country, UNRESOLVED watching…waiting… and Precarious Proximity invited audiences to reflect deeply on connection, place and responsibility. Later in the year, Material Transformations, holy arm gauntlet and our cross-cultural exhibition Tracing the Sky: Celebrating the Wetlands of Chile and Australia continued to expand conversations across disciplines and borders. We were also pleased to present the online 2025 Daily Creative Challenge Finalists Exhibition, which remains accessible to audiences everywhere.

In October, we opened two exhibitions focused on friendship and making with Beautiful Tensions: Gray Street Workshop celebrates forty years and Structured Connections. The final exhibitions of the year were the 2025 Craft + Design Canberra Annual Members Exhibition and the 2025 Craft + Design Canberra Daily Creative Challenge Winners Exhibition. Together, these exhibitions celebrated the strength of our community, the skill of our makers and the extraordinary dedication of artists working across craft and design today.

Throughout 2025, we continued to support our members with professional development opportunities, including our annual Artists in Residence program. Hannah McKellar and Michele Grimston conducted research at the National Zoo and Aquarium and explored Tidbinbilla to understand rewilding practices and document native species. This immersive time in nature informed botanical embroidery, 3D textile sculptures and other works. Hannah and Michele hosted hands on workshops for over 30 members of the public at our 2025 Open Day.

A special highlight for 2025 was the Daily Creative Challenge, which grew from 70 to 350 participants. Throughout July, makers engaged in daily creative practice, sharing their work online and gathering in person at our Connect events. The program created a supportive digital community where participants formed lasting friendships. What began as a 31 day commitment often transformed into sustained creative practice, with participants reporting reduced stress, improved sleep, and deeper connection to their artistic identity.

We were thrilled to present our annual Open Studios and Organisations Open Day program, supported by home.byholly, across the first two weekends of November. Over 4,000 visitors explored the creative spaces of 34 makers and 4 organisations across 27 locations. The program generated over $102,000 in direct sales for participating makers and reached an estimated 250,000 people through social and print media.

A watershed moment for our organisation came with the ACT Government's announcement of funding to support our Biennial Craft + Design Canberra Festival. The 2024 Festival injected an estimated $16 million into the Canberra economy through a city wide collaboration with over 30 partner organisations. The ACT Government's strong commitment to having Canberra listed in the UNESCO Creative Cities Network as a Creative City of Design reflects a vision we have been working towards for over 10 years. The next Biennial Festival will be staged in November 2026 with the theme of Dissent. Applications closed on 3 December and we received over 40 submissions for cross-promoted programs, artist led projects and artist opportunities.

Our newest program was the Undercurrent Design Market, which found a new home at Gorman Arts Centre in Braddon from November 21 to 23. We received the gift of this beloved brand from Richard Baz and Mel O'Hanlon, founders of The Curatoreum. The move to Gorman allowed us to showcase more than 50 leading makers across three days in November, honouring the market's strong legacy while reviving the spirit of creativity at Gorman.

Our work is strengthened by our partners, sponsors and donors. Our multiyear partnership model includes home.byholly, ACT Parks and Conservation, Art Group, the Australian Institute of Architects, A by Adina, Ale Mary and Lawyerbank, as well as our other partners, donors and organisational members. Craft + Design Canberra's activities are made possible through the ongoing support of the ACT Government's organisational funding and Creative Australia's four year funding 2025 to 2028.

Our Board of Management has provided countless voluntary hours and wise counsel throughout 2025. In particular, Chair Penny Boyer's passionate leadership has been instrumental to our success. The staff at Craft + Design Canberra have demonstrated extraordinary commitment, creativity, professionalism and resilience, making everything we do possible.

As we look ahead to 2026 and a Festival year, I am excited for another year of ambitious programs, new collaborations and opportunities to grow together. Thank you for helping us champion contemporary craft and design, nurture creative careers, and sustain spaces for learning, reflection, wellbeing and joy. I wish you a restful and creative summer break, and I can't wait to see the incredible things you make in 2026.