The first and only city-wide Festival dedicated to presenting the latest in contemporary craft and offering a huge range of hands-on experiences for the public to get involved and make their own work, the 8th annual Sydney Craft Week runs from 11 – 20 October 2024.
An initiative of the Australian Design Centre, Sydney Craft Week encourages an appreciation of making objects by hand, learning new practical and creative skills in different workshops and events, and celebrating and supporting Sydney’s thriving community of artists and makers with markets, exhibitions, open studios and more.
Since Sydney Craft Week first launched in 2017, the Festival now runs over 10 days and extends to regional locations including the Illawarra, Shoalhaven, Central Coast and Hawkesbury areas.
The Sydney Craft Week program in 2024 includes 640+ participating artists, as well as 55 participating groups, across 37 suburbs of Sydney and beyond, presented across 146 events. This year’s Festival theme is RESPONSE – with participants reflecting this in diverse ways in their work, events and materials.
“Designer makers respond to the world around them in their craft practice. They ask questions, research, investigate problems and pose solutions. They explore contemporary issues through making,” said Sydney Craft Week Festival Director, Lisa Cahill.
“Sydney Craft Week Festival 2024 has invited designer makers, galleries, collectives, organisations, indeed anyone involved in the craft world, to respond with a project, event, workshop or exhibition that is a RESPONSE to something that perplexes, troubles, inspires or delights them and, when shared, will enable us all to consider or reconsider these issues.”
Each year Sydney Craft Week is proud to bring an incredibly diverse group of makers, artists, groups and organisations together under one Festival. From woodwork to jewellery making, leather care to T-shirt printing, book binding to felting, kintsugi to Korean knots and so much more, it’s an October feast of craft and making.
The hands-on workshops and events provide guidance and fun to learn new skills, and markets, exhibitions and open studios are a great way to support and meet the many dedicated makers and artists across NSW, such as the successful Sydney Ceramics Market at Carriageworks. Take a treasured new object home with you or make one yourself.
Sydney Craft Week runs from 11 – 20 October 2024. For more information and full program, visit: www.sydneycraftweek.com for details.
Images: Sydney Ceramics Market at Carriageworks (2023) – photo by Amy Piddington | Among the Trees – Whittling Workshop (supplied)