, formally known as the Craft Council of the ACT, has been a staple of the Canberra Art community for over 42 years. Supporting local established and emerging artists, it helps to bring all areas of the craft and design sector to both Canberrans and the national community at large.

Avi Amesbury, Executive Director of Craft ACT, says that “Craft ACT offers a number of unique services to the Canberra community, including opportunities for craft practitioners through our exhibitions program as well as through specific projects..for example, our Centenary of Canberra – a legacy of good design project offered practitioners a great opportunity to develop and manufacture their design and reach a wide audience.”

“We help to build sustainability for the sector – through our membership program, Craft ACT supports craft and design artists at all stages of their careers – from students through to our Accredited Professional Members. We also work to raise the profile of craft and design, both in Canberra and nationally – ensuring that the work of artists is valued and engaged with across all levels of the community.”

A somewhat hidden treasure is Craft ACT’s retail outlet that stocks local and interstate artists, and offers the public the opportunity to both support artists, and purchase uniquely designed and crafted artefacts at a reasonable price.

They also have a space at Lonsdale St Traders called ‘pod’, where artists can host exhibitions, one-off events and small retail spaces for short term periods. This is a great opportunity for artists to test the waters with their work, and be part of an exciting and innovative venture.

One of the many ways in which Craft ACT supports artists, is through their artist-in-residence program. Presented in partnership with ACT Parks and Conservation, the program draws exciting international and Australian artists to Canberra, offers them a chance to engage with the Canberra environment while raising the profile of our national parks, and exhibits the work they create.

This program is comprised of a two-to-four week residency at the Gudgenby Ready-Cut Cottage in the Namadgi National Park, followed by a further two weeks in Canberra for a period of sustained research with a cultural institution. These residencies give artists a chance to explore Canberra’s unique landscape and incorporate this into their own work. The artist-in-residence this year is the 2013 NAIDOC Week ACT Artist of the Year, Ceretha Skinner– the first Indigenous artist-in-residence.

“Ceretha is a contemporary textile artist and Gumbayngirr woman. The natural environment and Skinner’s fondness for plant and animal life plays a large part in her design development, where flora and fauna particularly of the Clarence River region in northeast New South Wales, features heavily in her sketchbooks which are full to the brim of drawings in pencil, texta, pen and ink. As a screen printer, her designs are printed by hand on lengths of fabric,” says Avi.

Undergoing a highly technical and precise process, Skinner’s finished screen prints both incorporate references to nature and her Indigenous heritage as well as offering her peace, solace and freedom of expression. She says, “Art has been a medicine to me – a therapy. It helped me build my self-esteem. Art saved my life.”

Ceretha describes her upbringing in Grafton as tough and wrought with its own challenges and hardships. However, her passion for drawing has sustained her over the years and since her relocation to Canberra 15 years ago, it has flourished in a new, creative environment.

She discovered Megalo Print Studio and Gallery almost immediately after arriving in Canberra in 2000. Director Alison Alder and the team of artist teachers at Megalo have supported Skinner’s artistic development since this time. Her inherent talent and skills in drawing were recognised from the onset as well as an enormous potential for the blossoming of her exquisite designs.

“Experimentation into the field of screen printing has proven to offer Skinner the perfect avenue for her creative output, where over the last couple of years, the artist has held a number of successful exhibitions at Megalo.  Admirers and textile design collectors alike have enthusiastically bought up her work in sell-out shows. She has also started to share her knowledge of print making and textile design with other women and children in the community,” says Avi.

Despite her own health challenges, her diligence, hard work and determination continue to inspire others and Ceretha plans to start her own design business in the near future to commercialise her limited edition prints and fabrics.

As well as this, if you dabble in craft and design and the artist in residence program sounds like your cup of tea, then you’re in luck. Applications for the 2014 artist in residence program are open until 5pm 13 December 2013. You can find out more information and download an expression of interest form at www.craftact.org.au.

Image courtesy of Megalo Print Studio + Gallery