Craft / 2024 Craft + Design Canberra annual members’ exhibition. At North Building, Civic, until October 12. Reviewed by MEREDITH HINCHLIFFE.

Craft + Design Canberra is a membership organisation, and members work in many materials as showcased in this exhibition.

Experienced artists exhibit with those who have recently graduated and it is always interesting to see the work of newly minted graduates.

Members were asked to address the concept of Regenerate/Regeneration for this exhibition.

Since the introduction of the glass workshop at the now ANU School of Art and Design some decades ago, and the establishment of the Canberra Glassworks shop, many artists working in glass have come to Canberra to live and work and create their art.

Elián I Tazzyman is one. He has created a large dark bowl with bevelled edges and carving on the lower, outer surface titled Song for My Mother. He references natural and nautical images from a poem of the same name, by Argentinian poet Alfonsina Storni exploring the complicated and complex relationships we all have with our mothers.

The deep purple glass bowl is held the hands of the giver and receiver and are symbolic of the regenerative qualities found in this relationship.

Metalsmith Oliver Smith combines hand-making techniques with industrial processes, capturing the best of both worlds, and extending artistic and experimental production. This mastering of materials is a hallmark of Smith’s making.

He understand his materials and experiments with them to achieve new production processes combined with artistry. He is showing traditional trugs in three sizes, made from galvanised steel with copper rivets. Smith always comes up with the unexpected, and these are no exception.

Jeffrey Sarmiento is head of glass at the ANU School of Art and Design and is showing a work in glass, titled Cappio. Two snakes, one overlaying the other, are strong images. Both are in bright blue with a graphic pattern in orange on their backs. These are strong works, and convey to us his interest in graphic images.

Several artists are exhibiting textiles – weaving, embroidery and tapestry weaving. Melanie Olde is showing a work titled Inorganic Modelling, Organic I in stainless steel and copper wire. This is a sophisticated work, showing her expertise in  three-dimensional weaving. Others are exhibiting furniture and objects in timber. Two Netty stools in walnut by Nathan Cummins stand out for their simplicity.

This show was curated by Waratah Lahy and is overall an excellent representation of the crafts in Canberra.