Craft is part of our everyday encounters – think of bowls, vases, jugs – and seen commonly in domestic settings. It is not bound historically to the framework of museum displays, but in many of the craft exhibitions seen today the work on display showcases breadth, variety and innovation in exhibition design and curation.
As artists continue their journey into creating curious objects that challenge our perception of what craft is and can be, curators are helping bridge this narrative to a diverse range of viewers.
ArtsHub speaks with two craft curators to dig a bit deeper into the world of craft exhibitions – what are some key considerations, and how does it differ to other visual art exhibitions?
How did you get started in curating craft?
Curator and Exhibitions Manager at JamFactory Adelaide, Caitlin Eyre, has always had a fascination with objects. Early in her career she did two internships: one working on an abstract expressionist show at the National Gallery of Australia (NGA), and the other at JamFactory. After the internships, Eyre worked across a few art spaces and galleries in Adelaide, with most relating to craft and design rather than painting. She tells ArtsHub, ‘My mum brought me to galleries and museums growing up, and I always had a strong interest in cultures and historical artefacts. I think that early passion has led me to working in craft and design quite exclusively, to examine objects and explain how and why they are made.’
Amelia James, Head Curator of Craft Lab in Ballarat, regional Victoria, has also had a strong affiliation with craft throughout her life, including studying at a craft school in Denmark and working on the Australian Craft Show in the late 1980s to early 90s.
Both Eyre and James cites the viewer experience as a key consideration for their curatorial framework.
Eyre says, ‘I think people respond to objects quite readily because we have them in our daily life.’
James agrees, adding, ‘Part of the attraction is that you can use these items, they can become part of your daily experience… I’m obsessed with John Berger and that idea you have to work from the known to the unknown. That familiarity with material is challenged by the thought, “Why doesn’t it look like how I thought the item should look?”
‘If somebody has made a bowl out of shells that are sewn together with lace, then is it still a bowl? For me, if people have an interest, then you can entice them to come a bit further,’ says James.
Craft in different contexts
The layout of JamFactory means most visitors first encounter craft objects in the store, then pass through into the gallery space. How does this affect the visitor experience, or require viewers to shift their perspective?
‘The shop has been an extension of the gallery in its own way,’ says Eyre, ‘because it is so beautifully presented and there’s so much diversity with the objects – our retail team work quite hard to curate that space.’
But what differentiates the two zones is the storytelling. ‘Objects in the shop tend to be more functional, whereas the objects in the gallery could be functional or more sculptural – non-utilitarian and decorative. There are strong themes and stories we are telling in the gallery space and we’re not able to devote as much time and attention to those things in a retail setting, so you may not get the same intimacy.’
James highlights the solution-driven aspect of craft, which translates to thinking around curation. ‘I often think of makers as uniquely skilled problem solvers. The process of transforming a raw material into a finished (and often useful) object becomes the problem itself, resolved only by the skill, talent and knowledge of the artisan maker. This often involves getting materials to behave in a different or unexpected way, so in the final object materials are transformed, yet can still be recognised.’
James adds, ‘The historical divide between art and craft is being challenged, because craft now is sometimes quite political – it has a subtext or purpose beyond the utilitarian.
’Makers are generally passionate about continuing traditional skills and having sustainable practices, yet their work is often simultaneously quite progressive as well. Craft making really is a space [in which] makers are forever reinventing the norm and challenging expectations.
Exhibition design and furniture play a big part in the narrative, and JamFactory has the added advantage of being able to access its furniture studio. ’We have these artists, designers and makers as part of the core staff who have such a dynamic way of thinking,’ says Eyre. ‘There are displays we can use for multiple shows, when adapted in different ways, and we want to make sure that the materials we use are good quality and can be used for a long project or touring exhibitions in future years.’
Case studies for craft curation
2024 FUSE Glass Prize
Eighteen finalists were selected for the FUSE Glass Prize this year, with the exhibition now on view at JamFactory until 7 July. Eyre is in the middle of wrapping up exhibition preparation when speaking with ArtsHub, and says, ‘Group shows, particularly prizes, can sometimes be a curatorial challenge, as the works can be quite disparate – they’ve been chosen and shortlisted by judges, often someone other than the curator. The curator then gets these objects and has to try to display them in the best light possible.
’I usually go about that by trying to find some distinct connection between works… The colours, textures [etc]. Practical things like light sources also need to be considered – sometimes making sure that works that cast light are kept separate from each other.’
For example, the 2024 David Henshall Emerging Artist Prize Winner, Emeirely Nucifora-Ryan is presenting a large red neon installation, while finalist Hannah Gason’s pieces are also illuminated. ‘It still has to flow,’ continues Eyre, ‘and the topography of the space needs to sustain enough visual interest so that, as visitors navigate their way around, they are continually intrigued by the objects and don’t feel a sense of jarring interruption.’
Read: Fashion, craft and design calendar 2024
On the other hand, however, Eyre mentions that tension and contradiction can be ‘fun to play with’ in certain contexts, when the curator has more control around the selection of artists and works.
’There is quite a bit at stake in a prize exhibition; you don’t want anyone to feel like they may have not won because of the placement of the work, or because you’re making a grand curatorial statement. You’re trying to make sure that each piece shines in its own way,’ explains Eyre.
Prize exhibitions aim to showcase the best of a practice, and a common reaction Eyre receives is “I can’t believe that’s glass!”, she says.
‘People see glass in their everyday lives, but for glass to do things that you couldn’t imagine – seeing glass with beautiful powdered surfaces or that looks [like] wallpaper – that’s quite a powerful thing. This year we have a tiny paper plane made from glass [by Ian Mowbray].’
The 2024 FUSE Glass Prize exhibition will tour to the ANU School of Art and Design Gallery, Canberra from 8 August to 6 September 2024 and Australian Design Centre, Sydney from 3 October to 13 November 2024.
Craft Lab and The Great Takeaway
Craft Lab is a sector development program highlighting the work of local Ballarat makers. Each year a group of candidates showcases their practice, and there is an exhibition and demonstration as part of Ballarat Heritage Festival.
Read: UNESCO City of Crafts puts craftsmanship on the dinner table
‘The objective of Craft Lab is for people to understand the value of craft,’ says James.
‘How craft is displayed is a relatively new challenge as it moves from a retail or shop space to the gallery space, not as a curiosity from the past like a decorative art collection, but a contemporary object of value. So in a group exhibition like Craft Lab, each object needs to be displayed in a way that lets it sing, but also complements the surrounding objects.
‘Craft Lab is displayed in the Ballarat Mining Exchange, which is more of an events space than a gallery and comes with many limitations. However, we have made it work really well in the past. Most objects are viewed under predominantly natural light, which plays nicely on the natural materials.’
Objects are placed on tables, ‘in a nod to the domestic history of craft’, says James, as well as on plinths that would be typical in a gallery setting.
‘Last year we had about 6500 people visit Craft Lab, and there was a lot of feedback about how calm it felt in the room. It’s activated, it’s inviting, it’s engaging – there’s a lot of curiosity.
‘That’s what makes craft exhibitions compelling – they are at once familiar and also delightfully surprising or curiously challenging,’ concludes James.
The Ballarat Heritage Festival runs from 17-26 May, with the Craft Lab 24 exhibition on view from 18-26 May.
